Directednesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being purposeful in a certain direction or focus; the state of having a specific aim or intent in movement or thought; the characteristic of exhibiting guidance toward a particular objective or goal in behavior or strategy
2. The property of having clear orientation or alignment towards a target; the condition of exhibiting intent and determination in one's actions or plans; the nature of being geared towards achieving defined aims or outcomes
3. An aspect of having a clear and focused direction in intentions or actions; the state of actively pursuing defined targets in strategies or behaviors; the quality of manifesting a strong sense of purpose or goal orientation

Etymology: "Directednesses" is the plural of "directedness," a noun formed by attaching the suffix "-ness" to "directed," the past participle of "direct." The suffix "-ness" descends from Old English "-nes," which turned adjectives into nouns of quality, so that "good" became "goodness" and "dark" became "darkness." Attaching it to "directed" yields a noun for the state of being aimed or guided toward something. The base "direct" came into English from Latin "dirigere," meaning "to arrange in a straight line, to guide," built from "dis-" and "regere," "to rule or guide." The "-ed" ending on "directed" marks the participle, so the word literally describes something that has been pointed or steered. "Directedness" therefore names the quality of having been set on a course, and the plural "directednesses" simply counts distinct instances of that quality.