direadj.n.

/dʌɪə/

Forms: Also 1500s–1600s dyre.

Etymology: < Latin dīrus fearful, awful, portentous, ill-boding.

A. adj.

a. ‘Dreadful, dismal, mournful, horrible, terrible, evil in a great degree’ (Johnson).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > heinousness > [adjective]

awlyc1200

grievousa1300

grilla1300

uglya1300

strongc1300

outrageousa1325

heinousc1374

excessive1393

curseda1400

fella1400

misshapenc1400

rankc1400

monstruousc1425

enorm1481

prodigiousc1487

villainous1489

nefand1490

sceleratea1513

monstrous1531

funestal1538

enormious1545

facinorous1548

flagitious1550

dire1567

bonable1575

felonious1575

bomination1589

unvenial?1589

heathenish1592

enormous1593

villainous1598

nameless1611

pitchy1612

funest1636

funestous1641

scarleta1643

nefandous1649

aversable1663

atrocious1669

frightful1700

flagrant1706

atrocea1734

diabolical1750

unspeakable1831

the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of terribleness > [adjective]

eislichc888

eyesfulOE

awfulc1175

smarta1200

ferlya1225

sternc1275

grisea1300

uglya1300

dreadfula1325

fell?c1335

stout1338

perilousc1380

terriblec1400

ghastfulc1449

timorous1455

epouventable1477

bedreadc1485

dreadablec1490

dreadc1540

buggisha1555

dreaded1556

monster-like1561

dire1567

scareful1567

terrifying1577

scary1582

direful1583

affrighting1592

dismal1594

affrightful1603

diral1606

tirable1607

frighting1619

scaring1641

affrighteninga1651

formidolous1656

terrific1667

terrifical1677

atrocious1733

terrorful1789

orful1845

lurid1850

terrorsome1890

turble1893

timorsome1894

like the wrath of God1936

1567 T. Drant tr. Horace Pistles in tr. Horace Arte of Poetrie sig. Fj With gyues, and fetters Ile tame the Vnder a galow dyre.

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. xi. sig. L4^v All was couered with darknesse dire.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) ii. iii. 57 Strange Schreemes of Death, And Prophecying, with Accents terrible, Of dyre Combustion.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 628 All monstrous, all prodigious things..Gorgons and Hydra's, and Chimera's dire .

1681 London Gaz. No. 1649/3 And His Majesty, with advice foresaid, recommends to His Privy Council to see this Act put to dire and vigorous Execution.

1765 O. Goldsmith Ess. xxvi. 232 That dire disease, whose ruthless power, Withers the beauty's transient flower.

1774 J. Beattie Minstrel: 2nd Bk. ii. 2 To learn the dire effects of time and change.

1785 W. Cowper Task ii. 270 Gives his direst foe a friend's embrace.

1853 C. Brontë Villette II. xxvi. 240 Forced by dire necessity.

1868 A. Helps Realmah II. xvii. 275 Ostentation, the direst enemy of comfort.

b. dire sisters n. [ < Latin dīrae sorōres, Dirae] the Furies.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > deity > classical deity > [noun] > the Furies

dire1610

Eumenides1651

the snaky sisters1728

dire sisters1743

1743 J. Davidson tr. Virgil Æneid vii. 195 From the Mansion of the dire Sisters.

c. In weakened (now trivial) use, apparent first in dire necessity: terrible, dreadful; awful, ‘frightful’; unpleasant, objectionable. colloquial.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adjective] > very great or extreme > specifically of something bad or reprobated

woefula1400

mortalc1425

preciousc1475

fine1559

trim1569

gay1581

unconscionable1590

pocky1601

abominable1612

fearful1634

handsome1638

plaguey1694

dreadful1700

awfy1724

murrain1728

diabolical1750

deuced1782

dire1836

sinful1863

sodding1881

blooming1882

flaming1895

ruddy1896

abysmal1904

awful1916

hellishing1927

right1958

steaming1962

schwag1993

1836 E. B. Barrett Lett. to M. R. Mitford (1983) I. 7 The dire necessity of having every window in the house open to the ceaseless rolling of carriages.

1928 E. O'Neill Strange Interlude viii. 180 I didn't say anything so dire, did I—merely that Gordon resembles you in character.

1933 G. Heyer Why shoot Butler? ii. 32 ‘I practically had to accept,’ she explained. ‘Apparently things are pretty dire since the murder. Basil's got nerves, or something.’

1969 N. Cohn Pop from Beginning xix. 176 They were small ravers, loud and brash and really a bit dire.

1985 Times Lit. Suppl. 16 Aug. 902/1 She finds herself courted..by the defector from The Purple Rose, a dire social comedy.

†B. n. Obsolete.

1. Dire quality or matter, direness.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of terribleness > [noun]

dreadnessa1175

ferdfulness1398

dreadfulnessc1440

terribility?1473

terrora1500

terriblenessa1533

diritya1600

direness1605

direfulnessa1656

dire1660

terrificness1727

tremendousness1727

fearsomeness1891

terribilità1923

terrifyingness1930

1660 A. Wood Life & Times (1891) I. 367 Their sermons..before were verie practicall and commonly full of dire.

2. plural = Latin Diræ, Furies, dire sisters.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > deity > classical deity > [noun] > the Furies

dire1610

Eumenides1651

the snaky sisters1728

dire sisters1743

1610 G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 53 Arme, arme your selues, sad Dires of my pow'r.

Compounds

Chiefly adverbial or parasynthetic, as dire-clinging, dire-gifted, dire-lamenting, dire-looking, dire-visaged.

ΚΠ

a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iii. ii. 81 After your dire-lamenting Elegies, Visit..your Ladies chamber-window With some sweet Consort.

1645 J. Milton Arcades in Poems 54 The cross dire-looking Planet.

1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 166 Here the plain, harmless native..to the rocks Dire-clinging, gathers his ovarious food.

a1881 D. G. Rossetti 2nd Beryl-song in Rose Mary 2 Dire-gifted spirits of fire.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	dire
释义	direadj.n. /dʌɪə/ Forms: Also 1500s–1600s dyre. Etymology: < Latin dīrus fearful, awful, portentous, ill-boding. A. adj. a. ‘Dreadful, dismal, mournful, horrible, terrible, evil in a great degree’ (Johnson). ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > heinousness > [adjective] awlyc1200 grievousa1300 grilla1300 uglya1300 strongc1300 outrageousa1325 heinousc1374 excessive1393 curseda1400 fella1400 misshapenc1400 rankc1400 monstruousc1425 enorm1481 prodigiousc1487 villainous1489 nefand1490 sceleratea1513 monstrous1531 funestal1538 enormious1545 facinorous1548 flagitious1550 dire1567 bonable1575 felonious1575 bomination1589 unvenial?1589 heathenish1592 enormous1593 villainous1598 nameless1611 pitchy1612 funest1636 funestous1641 scarleta1643 nefandous1649 aversable1663 atrocious1669 frightful1700 flagrant1706 atrocea1734 diabolical1750 unspeakable1831 the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of terribleness > [adjective] eislichc888 eyesfulOE awfulc1175 smarta1200 ferlya1225 sternc1275 grisea1300 uglya1300 dreadfula1325 fell?c1335 stout1338 perilousc1380 terriblec1400 ghastfulc1449 timorous1455 epouventable1477 bedreadc1485 dreadablec1490 dreadc1540 buggisha1555 dreaded1556 monster-like1561 dire1567 scareful1567 terrifying1577 scary1582 direful1583 affrighting1592 dismal1594 affrightful1603 diral1606 tirable1607 frighting1619 scaring1641 affrighteninga1651 formidolous1656 terrific1667 terrifical1677 atrocious1733 terrorful1789 orful1845 lurid1850 terrorsome1890 turble1893 timorsome1894 like the wrath of God1936 1567 T. Drant tr. Horace Pistles in tr. Horace Arte of Poetrie sig. Fj With gyues, and fetters Ile tame the Vnder a galow dyre. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. xi. sig. L4^v All was couered with darknesse dire. a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) ii. iii. 57 Strange Schreemes of Death, And Prophecying, with Accents terrible, Of dyre Combustion. View more context for this quotation 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 628 All monstrous, all prodigious things..Gorgons and Hydra's, and Chimera's dire . View more context for this quotation 1681 London Gaz. No. 1649/3 And His Majesty, with advice foresaid, recommends to His Privy Council to see this Act put to dire and vigorous Execution. 1765 O. Goldsmith Ess. xxvi. 232 That dire disease, whose ruthless power, Withers the beauty's transient flower. 1774 J. Beattie Minstrel: 2nd Bk. ii. 2 To learn the dire effects of time and change. 1785 W. Cowper Task ii. 270 Gives his direst foe a friend's embrace. 1853 C. Brontë Villette II. xxvi. 240 Forced by dire necessity. 1868 A. Helps Realmah II. xvii. 275 Ostentation, the direst enemy of comfort. b. dire sisters n. [ < Latin dīrae sorōres, Dirae] the Furies. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > deity > classical deity > [noun] > the Furies dire1610 Eumenides1651 the snaky sisters1728 dire sisters1743 1743 J. Davidson tr. Virgil Æneid vii. 195 From the Mansion of the dire Sisters. c. In weakened (now trivial) use, apparent first in dire necessity: terrible, dreadful; awful, ‘frightful’; unpleasant, objectionable. colloquial. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adjective] > very great or extreme > specifically of something bad or reprobated woefula1400 mortalc1425 preciousc1475 fine1559 trim1569 gay1581 unconscionable1590 pocky1601 abominable1612 fearful1634 handsome1638 plaguey1694 dreadful1700 awfy1724 murrain1728 diabolical1750 deuced1782 dire1836 sinful1863 sodding1881 blooming1882 flaming1895 ruddy1896 abysmal1904 awful1916 hellishing1927 right1958 steaming1962 schwag1993 1836 E. B. Barrett Lett. to M. R. Mitford (1983) I. 7 The dire necessity of having every window in the house open to the ceaseless rolling of carriages. 1928 E. O'Neill Strange Interlude viii. 180 I didn't say anything so dire, did I—merely that Gordon resembles you in character. 1933 G. Heyer Why shoot Butler? ii. 32 ‘I practically had to accept,’ she explained. ‘Apparently things are pretty dire since the murder. Basil's got nerves, or something.’ 1969 N. Cohn Pop from Beginning xix. 176 They were small ravers, loud and brash and really a bit dire. 1985 Times Lit. Suppl. 16 Aug. 902/1 She finds herself courted..by the defector from The Purple Rose, a dire social comedy. †B. n. Obsolete. 1. Dire quality or matter, direness. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of terribleness > [noun] dreadnessa1175 ferdfulness1398 dreadfulnessc1440 terribility?1473 terrora1500 terriblenessa1533 diritya1600 direness1605 direfulnessa1656 dire1660 terrificness1727 tremendousness1727 fearsomeness1891 terribilità1923 terrifyingness1930 1660 A. Wood Life & Times (1891) I. 367 Their sermons..before were verie practicall and commonly full of dire. 2. plural = Latin Diræ, Furies, dire sisters. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > deity > classical deity > [noun] > the Furies dire1610 Eumenides1651 the snaky sisters1728 dire sisters1743 1610 G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 53 Arme, arme your selues, sad Dires of my pow'r. Compounds Chiefly adverbial or parasynthetic, as dire-clinging, dire-gifted, dire-lamenting, dire-looking, dire-visaged. ΚΠ a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iii. ii. 81 After your dire-lamenting Elegies, Visit..your Ladies chamber-window With some sweet Consort. View more context for this quotation 1645 J. Milton Arcades in Poems 54 The cross dire-looking Planet. 1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 166 Here the plain, harmless native..to the rocks Dire-clinging, gathers his ovarious food. a1881 D. G. Rossetti 2nd Beryl-song in Rose Mary 2 Dire-gifted spirits of fire. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adj.n.1567
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