diretos

Diretos is the plural form of the Portuguese adjective direto, meaning direct, straight, or without intermediaries. It is used to describe things that are not indirect or circuitous and can qualify nouns across various fields. Examples include voos diretos (direct flights), linhas diretas (direct lines), and comunicação direta (direct communication).

Etymology and usage context: the term comes from Latin directus and entered Portuguese with the sense of unmediated or immediate. Over time, diretos has broadened to describe direct relationships, paths, or actions in many domains, from transportation to commerce and media.

In economics and public policy, diretos appears in fixed phrases such as impostos diretos, which are taxes paid directly by the taxpayer (for example, income tax and property tax), as opposed to impostos indiretos, which are levied on consumption. Other common expressions include transferências diretas (direct transfers), pagamentos diretos (direct payments), and vendas diretas (direct sales), all indicating transactions or obligations that occur without intermediary channels.

In broadcasting and media, direto or em direto refers to live transmission. The plural diretos can be used to denote live segments or broadcasts in a given program or schedule, as in os diretos da transmissão de hoje.

Notes and distinctions: diretos is often confused with direitos, a separate word meaning rights or legal entitlements. While both share the initial root, they belong to different semantic fields: diretos pertains to directness and immediacy; direitos to rights and claims under law or social norms.