Directorie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An older term for a guidebook setting out rules, instructions or forms of procedure ; a printed list arranged alphabetically giving names with their addresses or contact details
2. A handbook of prescribed rules or directions for conducting a practice ; an ordered register of people or organizations with their locations and contact information
3. A guide book laying out instructions for how something should be done ; a sorted index of individuals or businesses together with where they can be reached

Etymology: "Directorie" is an early spelling of "directory," and it is one of the older English words in this family. It was borrowed from Medieval Latin "directorium," a neuter noun from "director," meaning a guide or one who directs. The Latin root is "dirigere," "to direct," built from "dis-" (apart, thoroughly) and "regere" (to rule, guide), so the core idea is of keeping something straight and on course. The word first appeared in English in the 15th century, when it referred to a book of rules or a guide, especially for church services. Medieval clergy used such a book to work out which prayers, psalms and readings applied on each day of the year, and a "directorie" was exactly that kind of aid. The sense of a list of names and addresses, the one most people know today, came much later, in the 1500s and 1600s, when printed guides to people and places began to appear.