Meanings
directory1
noundirectory (plural directories)
plural directories
- A list of names, addresses etc, of specific classes of people or organizations, often in alphabetical order or in some classification.
look up an address in the directory
- computingA structured listing of the names and characteristics of the files on a storage device.
- computingA virtual container in a computer's file system, in which files and other directories may be stored. The files and subdirectories in a directory are usually related.
Synonyms: folder
- governmentA form of government with a collegial executive whose members jointly exercise power; the executive of such a government.
[…] at the Ufa State Conference it was it was the union's conception of a directory (rather than a dictatorship) to rule anti-Bolshevik Russia that won the day.
2015, Jonathan D. Smele, Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916-1926, →ISBN, Union for the Return to the Motherland, page 1243Synonyms: directorate
directory2
adjectivedirectory (comparative more directory, superlative most directory)
comparative more directory · superlative most directory
- Containing directions; instructing; directorial.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA virtual container in a computer's file system, in which files and other directories may be stored. The files and subdirectories in a directory are usually related.
Similar
nounA form of government with a collegial executive whose members jointly exercise power; the executive of such a government.
Similar
Also see
Origin
directory · noun
- Frenchdirectoire
- Medieval Latindīrēctōrium
- Middle Englishdirectorie
- Englishdirectory
From Middle English directorie, dyrectorye, from Medieval Latin dīrēctōrium. By surface analysis, direct + -ory. Doublet of directorium. The political sense is a semantic loan from French directoire.
More words from Middle English, Medieval Latin, French
Full word history & related roots →directory · adjective
- Latindīrēctōrius
- Middle Englishdirectorye
- Englishdirectory
From Middle English directorye, from Latin dīrēctōrius. By surface analysis, direct + -ory.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian указа́тел, катало́г
- указа́тел (ukazátel)list of names, addresses etc.
- катало́г (katalóg)list of names, addresses etc.
- директо́рия (direktórija)structured listing of files
Catalan directori
- directorisimulated folder
Chinese Mandarin 名錄 /名录, 簿
- 名錄 /名录 (mínglù)list of names, addresses etc.
- 簿 (bù)list of names, addresses etc.
- 目錄 /目录 (mùlù)structured listing of files
- 目錄 /目录 (mùlù)simulated folder
Czech adresář, adresář
- adresářlist of names, addresses etc.
- adresářstructured listing of files
- adresářsimulated folder
Dutch gids, repertorium
- gidslist of names, addresses etc.
- repertoriumlist of names, addresses etc.
- telefoongidslist of names, addresses etc.
- Gouden gidslist of names, addresses etc.
- Witte gidslist of names, addresses etc.
- lijststructured listing of files
- foldersimulated folder
- mapsimulated folder
Esperanto telefonlibro, katalogo
- telefonlibrolist of names, addresses etc.
- katalogostructured listing of files
- dosierujosimulated folder
Finnish hakemisto, hakemisto
- hakemistolist of names, addresses etc.
- hakemistostructured listing of files
- hakemistosimulated folder
- kansiosimulated folder
French annuaire, dossier
- annuairelist of names, addresses etc.
- dossierstructured listing of files
- répertoirestructured listing of files
- dossiersimulated folder
- répertoiresimulated folder
- directoireform of government
German Verzeichnis, Ordner
- Verzeichnislist of names, addresses etc.
- Ordnerstructured listing of files
- Verzeichnisstructured listing of files
- Ordnersimulated folder
- Verzeichnissimulated folder
- Direktoriumform of government
Greek κατάλογος, κατάλογος
- κατάλογος (katálogos)list of names, addresses etc.
- κατάλογος (katálogos)structured listing of files
- κατάλογος (katálogos)simulated folder
Hindi डायरेक्टरी
- डायरेक्टरी (ḍāyrekṭarī)structured listing of files
Hungarian címtár, könyvtárlista
- címtárlist of names, addresses etc.
- könyvtárlistastructured listing of files
- mappalistastructured listing of files
- könyvtársimulated folder
- mappasimulated folder
Icelandic efnisskrá
- efnisskrálist of names, addresses etc.
Indonesian direktori, direktori
- direktorilist of names, addresses etc.
- direktoristructured listing of files
- direktorisimulated folder
Italian elenco, lista
- elencolist of names, addresses etc.
- listalist of names, addresses etc.
- cartellastructured listing of files
- directorystructured listing of files
- cartellasimulated folder
Japanese 一覧, 名鑑
- 一覧 (ichiran)list of names, addresses etc.
- 名鑑 (meikan)list of names, addresses etc.
- ディレクトリ (direkutori)structured listing of files
- フォルダ (foruda)structured listing of files
- ディレクトリ (direkutori)simulated folder
- フォルダ (foruda)simulated folder
Korean 디렉토리, 폴더
- 디렉토리 (direktori)structured listing of files
- 폴더 (poldeo)structured listing of files
- 디렉토리 (direktori)simulated folder
- 폴더 (poldeo)simulated folder
Malay direktori
- direktoristructured listing of files
Māori whaiaronga
- whaiarongastructured listing of files
Persian دایرکتوری
- دایرکتوری (dâyrektori)structured listing of files
Polish księga adresowa, książka telefoniczna
- księga adresowalist of names, addresses etc.
- książka telefonicznalist of names, addresses etc.
- kataloglist of names, addresses etc.
- katalogstructured listing of files
- katalogsimulated folder
- dyrektoriatform of government
Portuguese diretório, diretoria
- diretóriolist of names, addresses etc.
- diretorialist of names, addresses etc.
- diretóriosimulated folder
- diretoriasimulated folder
- diretórioform of government
Russian указа́тель, пе́речень
- указа́тель (ukazátelʹ)list of names, addresses etc.
- пе́речень (pérečenʹ)list of names, addresses etc.
- катало́г (katalóg)list of names, addresses etc.
- спра́вочник (správočnik)list of names, addresses etc.
- катало́г (katalóg)structured listing of files
- па́пка (pápka)structured listing of files
- директо́рия (direktórija)structured listing of files
- катало́г (katalóg)simulated folder
- па́пка (pápka)simulated folder
- директо́рия (direktórija)simulated folder
- фо́лдер (fóldɛr)simulated folder
- директо́рия (direktórija)form of government
Slovak adresár
- adresárstructured listing of files
Spanish directorio, directorio
- directoriolist of names, addresses etc.
- directoriosimulated folder
- directorioform of government
Swedish katalog, katalog
- kataloglist of names, addresses etc.
- katalogstructured listing of files
- mappsimulated folder
Tagalog talahanapan
- talahanapanlist of names, addresses etc.
Thai ไดเรกทอรี
- ไดเรกทอรีstructured listing of files
Turkish dizin, klasör
- dizinstructured listing of files
- klasörstructured listing of files
- dizinsimulated folder
- klasörsimulated folder
Ukrainian дові́дник, катало́г
- дові́дник (dovídnyk)list of names, addresses etc.
- катало́г (katalóh)list of names, addresses etc.
- па́пка (pápka)structured listing of files
- катало́г (katalóh)structured listing of files
- директо́рія (dyrektórija)structured listing of files
- директо́рія (dyrektórija)form of government
Welsh cyfarwyddiadur, cyfeiriadur
- cyfarwyddiadurlist of names, addresses etc.
- cyfeiriadurlist of names, addresses etc.
Cite this entry
APA
directory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/directory
MLA
“directory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/directory. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “directory,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/directory.
Source: directory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.