dī-rĭgo or dērĭgo (the latter form preferred by Roby, L. G. 2, p. 387; cf. Rib. Proleg. ad Verg. p. 401 sq.; so Liv. 21, 19, 1; 21, 47, 8; 22, 28 Weissenb.; id. 22, 47, 2 Drak.; Lach. ad Lucr. 4, 609; Tac. A. 6, 40 Ritter; acc. to Brambach, s. v., the two forms are different words, de-rigo meaning to give a particular direction to; di-rigo, to arrange in distinct lines, set or move different ways; cf. describo and discribo. But the distinction is not observed in the MSS. and edd. generally), rexi, rectum, 3 (perf. sync. direxti, Verg. A. 6, 57), v. a. [dis-rego], to lay straight, set in a straight line, to arrange, draw up (class.; cf.: guberno, collineo, teneo).
I Lit.
A In gen.: coronam si diviseris, arcus erit: si direxeris, virga, Sen. Q. N. 1, 10: haec directa materia injecta consternebantur, Caes. B. G. 4, 17, 8: crates, id. B. C. 3, 46, 5: naves ante portum, Liv. 37, 31; cf.: naves in pugnam, id. 22, 19: vicos, i. e. to build regularly , id. 5, 55; cf. castella, Flor. 4, 12, 26: molem recta fronte, Curt. 4, 3 et saep.: regiones lituo, i. e. to lay out, bound , Cic. Div. 1, 17; cf.: finem alicui veterem viam regiam, Liv. 39, 27.—Esp. freq.: aciem, to draw up the troops in battle array , Caes. B. G. 6, 8, 5; Liv. 21, 47 fin. ; 34, 28; Front. Strat. 1, 12, 3; 2, 1, 4 et saep.; cf. frontem, Quint. 2, 13, 3; 5, 13, 11: membrana plumbo derecta, ruled with a lead-pencil , Cat. 22, 7.—*
b Perh. i. q., to split, cleave in twain : elephantum machaeră dirigit, Plaut. Curc. 3, 54 (dub.); cf.: dirigere apud Plautum invenitur pro discidere, Paul. ex Fest. p. 69, 15 Müll.—
B In partic., with respect to the terminus, to send in a straight line, to direct to a place (so most freq.): ex vestigio vela ad castra Corneliana, Caes. B. C. 2, 25, 6: aciem ad te, Cat. 63, 56: cursum ad litora, Caes. B. C. 3, 25, 4: iter ad Mutinam, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 112 et saep.—Afterwards more freq. with in : equum in consulem, Liv. 2, 6: currum in hostem, Ov. M. 12, 78: tela manusque in corpus Aeacidae, Verg. A. 6, 57; Front. Strat. 3, 3, 4: hastam in te, Ov. M. 8, 66; cf.: dentes in inguina, id. ib. 8, 400: cursum in Africam, Vell. 2, 19 fin. : cursum per auras in lucos, Verg. A. 6, 195 et saep.: navem eo, Nep. Chabr. 4, 2: gressum huc, Verg. A. 5, 162; 11, 855 et saep.; and poet. with the dat.: Ilo hastam, Verg. A. 10, 401 et saep.—Without designating the limit: ab iisdem (Etesiis) maritimi cursus (i. e. navium) celeres et certi diriguntur, to be directed, steered , Cic. N. D. 2, 53: iter navis, Ov. F. 1, 4: cursum, Front. Strat. 3, 13, 6; esp. freq. of weapons, to aim, direct : spicula, Verg. A. 7, 497; Ov. M. 12, 606: hastile, Verg. A. 12, 490: tela, Hor. C. 4, 9, 18: sagittas, Suet. Dom. 19 et saep.—Poet.: vulnera, Verg. A. 10, 140; Sil. 2, 92 Drak.; Tac. H. 2, 35; cf.: vulnera alicui, Sen. Herc. Oet. 160.
II Trop.
A In gen., to set in order, arrange (very rare): materias divisione dirigere, Quint. 2, 6, 1.—Far more freq. (esp. in Cic. and Quint.),
B In partic.: aliquid ad or in aliquid; also: aliqua re, to direct, guide, arrange a thing either to something (as its aim, scope) or according to something (as its rule or pattern).
α With ad : meas cogitationes sic dirigo, non ad illam parvulam Cynosuram sed, etc., Ac. 2, 20, 66; cf.: orationem ad exempla, id. Rep. 2, 31 fin. ; Quint. 10, 2, 1: judicium ad ea, id. 6, 5, 2: se ad id quod, etc., id. 12, 3, 8; cf.: se ad ea effingenda, id. 10, 1, 127: praecipua rerum ad famam, Tac. A. 4, 40 et saep.—In a different sense (viz., with ad equiv. to secundum, v. ad): in verbis et eligendis et collocandis nihil non ad rationem, Cic. Brut. 37, 140: vitam ad certam rationis normam, to conform , id. Mur. 2: leges hominum ad naturam, id. Leg. 2, 5 fin. ; id. Or. 2 fin. et saep.—
β With in (not so in Cic.): tota mente (intentionem) in opus ipsum, Quint. 10, 3, 28: communes locos in vitia, id. 2, 1, 11; Front. Strat. 3, 2, 2 et saep.—
γ With abl. (only in Cic.): quos (fines) utilitate aut voluptate dirigunt, Cic. Fin. 5, 20 fin. : omnia voluptate, id. ib. 2, 22, 71: utilitatem honestate, id. Off. 3, 21, 83: haec normā, id. de Or. 3, 49, 190.—
δ Without an object: (divinatio) ad veritatem saepissime dirigit, Cic. Div. 1, 14 fin. —
ε With acc. only: epistolam (sc. ad aliquem), to write , Capit. Clod. Alb. 2.—
ζ With adversus , Quint. 5, 7, 6.
XIV —Hence, dīrectus ( dērectus ), a, um, P. a., made straight, straight, direct , whether horizontally or perpendicularly; straight, level; upright, steep .
A Lit.: auditus flexuosum iter habet, ne quid intrare possit, si simplex et directum pateret, Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 144; cf. aes (tubae), opp. flexum, Ov. M. 1, 98: iter, Caes. B. C. 3, 79, 2: latera, id. B. G. 7, 72, 1; cf. trabes, id. ib. 7, 23, 1: ordo (olearum), Cic. Caecin. 8, 22: arcus (opp. obliquus), Ov. M. 2, 129: paries, i. e. that cuts another at right angles , Cic. Top. 4: ut directiores ictus flant, Quadrig. ap. Gell. 9, 1, 2: praeruptus locus utraque ex parte directus, Caes. B. C. 1, 45, 4; cf. id. ib. 2, 24, 3: (Henna) ab omni aditu circumcisa atque directa, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 48 Zumpt N. cr. : cornu, Caes. B. G. 6, 26.—Subst.: dī-rectum , i, n., a straight line : in directo pedum VIII. esse, in anfracto XVI., in a straight line , Varr. L. L. 7, § 15 Müll.; so, altitudo (montis) per directum IV. M. pass., Plin. 5, 22, 18, § 80; cf. id. 3, 5, 9, § 66 al.: cadere in directum moderate (with exire per devexum), Sen. Q. N. 6, 20; Vulg. Ezech. 47, 20 al.—
B Trop., straightforward, unceremonious, open, simple, direct : o praeclaram beate vivendi et apertam et simplicem et directam viam, Cic. Fin. 1, 18; cf.: iter ad laudem, id. Cael. 17, 41: vera illa et directa ratio, id. ib. 18: tristis ac directus senex, id. ib. 16, 38; cf.: quid est in judicio? Directum, asperum, simplex, SI PARET HS ICCC DARI, id. Rosc. Com. 4, 11: percunctatio et denuntiatio belli, Liv. 21, 19; cf. contiones, Just. 38, 3 fin. (v. obliquus): verba, Cod. Just. 6, 23, 15: actio, Dig. 3, 5, 46; 9, 4, 26 et saep.; cf. institutio (opp. precaria), id. 29, 1, 19: libertates (opp. fideicommissariae), id. 29, 4, 12.—Adv.
a dīrectē , directly, straight (very rare): dicere, Cic. Part. Or. 7, 24: ire, Vulg. Sap. 5, 22.—Far more freq.,
b dīrectō , directly, straight : deorsum ferri, Cic. N. D. 1, 25: transversas trabes, Caes. B. C. 2, 9, 2: ad fidem spectare, Cic. Part. Or. 13, 46; so id. Div. 2, 61 fin. (opp. anfractus and circuitio); Liv. 1, 11 fin. ; Sen. Ep. 66; Dig. 9, 4, 26 al. —*
c dīrectā : quo magis ursimus alte directā, press deep down perpendicularly , Lucr. 2, 198.—
d dīrectim , straightway, directly (post-class.), Ap. Dogm. Plat. 3, p. 34; Macr. S. 7, 12 fin.—Comp. : directius gubernare, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 20, 66.— Sup. seems not to occur either in the adj. or in the adv.