director

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French directeur and its source Late Latin director, directorem, from Latin directus.

noun

1. One who directs; the person in charge of managing a department or directorate (e.g., director of engineering), project, or production (as in a show or film, e.g., film director).
   Francis Gurry is director of WIPO. Audio (US) (file) 3 February 2019, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America, archived from the original on 2019-02-07
2. A member of a board of directors.
   … the confusion between directors who know nothing and managers who know everything ….- Anthony Trollope: Phineas Redux (1873), Chapter 60 ("Two Days before the Trial")
3. A counselor, confessor, or spiritual guide.
4. That which directs or orientates something.
   Installed longer flow director; it now just covers the entire diameter of the 6-in. brine return nozzle, and is 4 in. high […] 1971, United States. Office of Saline Water, Distillation Digest, volume 3, page 76
5. (military) A device that displays graphical information concerning the targets of a weapons system in real time.
6. (chemistry) The common axis of symmetry of the molecules of a liquid crystal.