Etymograph

English

semidirect

From semi- + direct.

Formed from semi- + direct

Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘one’

Proto-Indo-European *sēmi ‘half’

English semi-

Latin regō ‘to make straight, rule’

Latin dīrigō ‘to straighten, direct’

Latin dīrēctus ‘laid straight’

English direct

Today it means

adj Neither unqualifiedly direct nor unqualifiedly indirect.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “semidirect”. 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 / semidirect