necessitate
/nəˈsɛsəˌteɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.84 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To force (a person) into a certain course of action; compel.
Example Sentences
- "The early departure of her plane necessitated her waking up at 4 a.m."
- "And this to be a duty, […] ſpeciall that of loving God with all thy heart, &c. beſides manifold more in Scripture; But even the Law of Nature neceſſitates to it, whether we conſider God, or our ſelves, our ſoules, ſpecially."
- "[T]here is a twofold Neceſſitie, one contrary to Libertie, another conſiſtent therewith. Wherefore externe Neceſſitie deſtroyes Libertie (for no one externally compelled, is ſaid to do, or not to do any thing freely) but al interne Neceſſitie neceſſitating to act according to their own nature, this doth the more preſerve Libertie."
- "The application of the poker necessitated the ignition of the powder: the ignition necessitated the explosion: the explosion necessitated my sudden fright, which necessitated my sudden jump, which from a necessity equally powerful was in a curvilinear ascent: […]"
- "These ideas, as I have said, have to be interpreted and expressed in correct architectural language, that is the architect's problem, and a big enough one it is, and although this may necessitate slight changes in some of the owner's original ideas, the general character of the plan, as eventually worked out by "T" square and triangle, will be the embodiment of the owner's personality."
- "Repair of the many tunnels and high masonry viaducts on the eastern side of Semmering, appears to have necessitated this single-line working, although complete rerailing with long welded rails and resleepering and reballasting are being undertaken."
Etymology
From earlier necessitat, from Medieval Latin necessitātus, perfect past participle of necessitō (“to make necessary”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix, of participial origin)), from Classical Latin necessitās (“necessity, need”) + -ō. Necessitās is derived from necesse (“unavoidable”) (from ne- (“not”) + cessus (“conceded, given up, yielded”). By surface analysis, necessitō + -ate.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: necessitātus, necessitās
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /nəˈsɛsəˌteɪt/
- British English: /nɪˈsɛsɪteɪt/