| direct object |
| Definition: The noun or pronoun that is directly affected by the verb's action. |
| Example: In the phrase I hit Sam, the word Sam is the direct object of the verb hit. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: The term's first citation is from 1879: "Some verbs have … two direct objects, one being a person, the other a thing." (Roby Lat. Gram. iv. viii. §1122) |