'suddenly-directed' originates from the combination of 'suddenly' and 'directed', where 'suddenly' comes from Middle English 'sodein', meaning 'unexpected', and 'directed' from Latin 'directus', meaning 'straight' or 'guided'.

'sodein' transformed into 'sudden' in Middle English, and 'directus' evolved into 'directed' in modern English, eventually forming the compound adjective 'suddenly-directed'.

Initially, 'suddenly' meant 'unexpectedly', and 'directed' meant 'guided'. Together, they evolved to describe an abrupt change in direction.