Addresses

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /əˈdɹɛsɪz/

Definitions

1. To speak or write to a person or group; specific information identifying a place or person for correspondence or delivery
2. To communicate directly with an audience or individual; a designation used to locate or contact a building, person, or organization
3. To deliver a message to someone or something; particulars given to find or reach an individual or place

Etymology: The sense "a speech delivered to an audience" and the sense "the place where a letter goes" started out as something quite different: the Middle English verb "adressen" meant "to raise erect, adorn" and, in its older Old French form, "to straighten." Straightening was the original idea. The word grew from Latin "dīrēctus," "straight, right," which is itself tied to "dīrigō," "to lay straight, to direct," and ultimately to "regō," "to rule." Its modern sense of aiming something at someone, of setting a message on a straight course toward a recipient, came later. The "ad-" prefix means "to" or "towards," so the word literally carried the idea of setting something straight toward a target. That same path of meaning explains why "addresses" now covers both the spoken speech and the written location: each is a message pointed at someone. The plural "addresses" is simply the noun form of "address" with the regular -es ending.

Synonyms: directs, speeches, talks, lectures, discourse

Antonyms: ignores, neglects, overlooks, dismisses, shuns