Etymograph

English

directory

Directory comes from Medieval Latin dīrēctōrium ‘guide’, from Latin regō ‘to rule, govern, direct’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵeti1‘to be straightening, to be setting upright’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō1‘to rule, govern, direct’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrigō1‘direct to a place, guide, steer’
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500dīrēctōrium2‘guide’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500directorie2
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2015directory2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin directorium
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English directory
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2015, Jonathan D. Smele, Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars: “[…] at the Ufa State Conference it was it…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Latin directorium‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵetiWiktionary, Latin directorium‘to be straightening, to be setting upright’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regōWiktionary, Latin directoriumreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregōWiktionary, Latin directorium‘to rule, govern, direct’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrigōWiktionary, Latin directorium‘direct to a place, guide, steer’
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500dīrēctōriumWiktionary, English directory‘guide’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500directorieWiktionary, English directory
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2015directoryWiktionary, English directory. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2015, Jonathan D. Smele, Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars: “[…] at the Ufa State Conference it was it…”

The story

The political sense is a semantic loan from French directoire.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’

right, real, rich, royal, regular, rank, arrangement, roy, radar, correct, arrange, rack, rogue, rex, interrogation, raj, rake, regal, regency, rani, rajah, rhesus, rector, eldritch, riel, derailleur, interregnum, dirigible, retch, rectilinear, 76 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti ‘to be straightening, to be setting upright’

ana, anorexia, 43 more

through Proto-Italic *regō

regional, resource, ruler, regiment, regimen, erectile, erectus, erector, 38 more

through Latin regō ‘to rule, govern, direct’

source, rule, region, address, regime, realm, regulate, resurrection, regent, dresser, erect, insurrection, undress, rectify, dressage, rectum, incorrigible, irregularity, rectification, regula, regio, corregidor, rectitude, rectus, recto, 46 more

through Latin dīrigō ‘direct to a place, guide, steer’

dress, droit, dirge, derecho, 6 more

Another origin of directory

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrēctōrius
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500directorye
  3. Englishtodaydirectory

Today it means

noun A list of names, addresses etc, of specific classes of people or organizations, often in alphabetical order or in some classification.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “directory”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin directorium. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- / directory

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