| Part of Speech | Definition | |
| Adverb | 1. In a dire manner.[Websters]
2. In a high, great, broad or main manner. [Eve - graph theoretic] 3. In a terrific, huge, enormous or fearful manner. [Eve - graph theoretic] 4. In a big, abundant or gross manner. [Eve - graph theoretic] 5. In a large or spacious manner. [Eve - graph theoretic] 6. In a horrific or dreadful manner. [Eve - graph theoretic] 7. In a dismal or forbidding manner. [Eve - graph theoretic] 8. In an acute, sharp, acerbic or shrewd manner. [Eve - graph theoretic] 9. In a macabre, repulsive or frightful manner. [Eve - graph theoretic] 10. Rarely used adverbial inflection of the adjective dire.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
| Adjective Form (dire) | 1. Fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless; "a dire emergency".[Wordnet]. 2. Causing fear or dread or terror; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked".[Wordnet]. 3. Ill-boding; portentous; as, dire omens.[Websters]. 4. Evil in great degree; dreadful; dismal; horrible; terrible; lamentable.[Websters]. 5. Being tremendous, formidable, terrific, monstrous or redoubtable.[Eve - graph theoretic] 6. Being terrible, dreadful, awful, frightful or appalling.[Eve - graph theoretic] 7. Being horrible, gruesome, ghastly, hideous or horrid.[Eve - graph theoretic] 8. Being high, higher, great, big or tall.[Eve - graph theoretic] 9. Being lurid or acute.[Eve - graph theoretic] 10. Adjective base of the adverb direly.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), compiled from various sources, under license. | Top | |
Date "DIRELY" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1801. (references) |
Specialty Definition: dire
| Domain | Definition | ||
| Noah Webster | [Adjective] Dreadful; dismal; horrible; terrible; evil in a great degree. Dire was the tossing, deep the groans.. Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary. | ||
| Geography | 1: Dire is geographically located in Ethiopia. Its features include a populated place (a city, town, village, or other agglomeration of buildings where people live and work), and a waterhole(s) (a natural hole, hollow, or small depression that contains water, used by man and animals, especially in arid areas). Its geographic coordinates are 4.983333 degrees North latitude and 37.1 degrees East longitude. (references) | 2: Dire is geographically located in Iraq. Its features include a destroyed populated place (a village, town or city destroyed by a natural disaster, or by war). Its geographic coordinates are 36.167778 degrees North latitude and 45.160556 degrees East longitude. The local population generally speaks Arabic. (references) | 3: Dire is geographically located in Papua New Guinea. Its features include a populated place (a city, town, village, or other agglomeration of buildings where people live and work). Its geographic coordinates are 5.333333 degrees South latitude and 149.983333 degrees East longitude. (references) |
| Wiktionary | 1: [Adjective] Evil in great degree; dreadful; dismal; horrible; terrible; lamentable. (references) | 2: [Adjective] Ill-boding; portentous; as, dire omens. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Common Expressions: dire
| Expressions | Definition | ||
| Alchemy: Dire Straits Live | Alchemy: Dire Straits Live is the first live album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). It features their best-known tracks up to that point, but significantly different in sound from the studio versions, and featuring extended improvisations. It effectively captures the best of their live sound. (references) | ||
| Dire Dawa | Dire Dawa is one of two chartered cities (astedader akabibi) in Ethiopia (the other being the capital, Addis Ababa). It lies in the east of the nation, on the Dechatu River. According to a 1994 census Dire Dawa has a population of 164,851 making the city the second largest in the country. (references) | ||
| Dire Maul | Dire Maul is a location set in Blizzard Entertainments video game and book series, Warcraft. In the MMORPG World of Warcraft it acts as an instance dungeon in the virtual world. (references) | ||
| Dire straits | A state of extreme distress. Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. | ||
| Dire Straits (album) | Dire Straits is the self-titled debut album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1978 (see 1978 in music). The album was noted for the single "Sultans of Swing" which was a US hit a full five months after the album was released. (references) | ||
| Dire Wolf | The Dire Wolf (Canis dirus) is an extinct member of the genus Canis (which contains the wolves, Coyote, jackals, and the Domestic Dog), and was most common in North America during the Pleistocene. Although it was closely related to the Grey Wolf it was not, as commonly assumed, the direct ancestor of any species known today. The Dire Wolf co-existed with the Grey Wolf in North America for about 100,000 years, until its extinction about 10,000 years ago during a time of extinction of many large North American mammals. (references) | ||
| Dire Wraith | The Dire Wraiths are a fictional extraterrestrial race that is part of the Marvel Comics Universe. They were the main opponents of Rom, although they have also appeared in a few other Marvel comic books. (references) | ||
| Voir dire | An oath administered to a witness, usually before being sworn in chief, requiring him to speak the truth, or make true answers in reference to matters inquired of, to ascertain his competency to give evidence. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
| Voir dire | The phrase "voir dire" derives from Middle French; in modern English it is interpreted to mean "speak the truth" and generally refers to the process by which prospective jurors are questioned about their backgrounds and potential biases before being invited to sit on a jury. (references) | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Specialty Expressions: dire
| Expressions | Domain | Definition | |
| Voir dire | Law | The process by which judges and lawyers select a petit jury from among those eligible to serve, by questioning them to determine knowledge of the facts of the case and a willingness to decide the case only on the evidence presented in court. "Voir dire" is a phrase meaning "to speak the truth." (references) | |
| Voire dire | Law | Preliminary examination by a judge of a witness to determine his competence or of a juror to determine his qualification for jury service; inquiry conducted by the judge in the absence of the jury into the admissibility of an item of evidence. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
