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Webster 1913 Edition

Necessary

Nec′es-sa-ry

,
Adj.
[L.
necessarius
, from
necesse
unavoidable, necessary; of uncertain origin: cf. F.
nécessaire
.]
1.
Such as must be; impossible to be otherwise; not to be avoided; inevitable.
Death, a
necessary
end,
Will come when it will come.
Shakespeare
2.
Impossible to be otherwise, or to be dispensed with, without preventing the attainment of a desired result; indispensable; requisite; essential.
“’T is necessary he should die.”
Shak.
A certain kind of temper is
necessary
to the pleasure and quiet of our minds.
Tillotson.
3.
Acting from necessity or compulsion; involuntary; – opposed to
free
;
as, whether man is a
necessary
or a free agent is a question much discussed
.

Nec′es-sa-ry

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Necessaries
.
1.
A thing that is necessary or indispensable to some purpose; something that one can not do without; a requisite; an essential; – used chiefly in the plural;
as, the
necessaries
of life
.
2.
A privy; a water-closet.
3.
pl.
(Law)
Such things, in respect to infants, lunatics, and married women, as are requisite for support suitable to station.

Webster 1828 Edition

Necessary

NECESSARY

,
Adj.
1.
That must be; that cannot be otherwise; indispensably requisite. It is necessary that every effect should have a cause.
2.
Indispensable; requisite; essential; that cannot be otherwise without preventing the purpose intended. Air is necessary to support animal life; food is necessary to nourish the body; holiness is a necessary qualification for happiness; health is necessary to the enjoyment of pleasure; subjection to law is necessary to the safety of persons and property.
3.
Unavoidable; as a necessary inference or consequence from facts or arguments.
4.
Acting from necessity or compulsion; opposed to free. Whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed.

NECESSARY

,
Noun.
A privy.

Definition 2025

necessary

necessary

English

Adjective

necessary ‎(comparative more necessary, superlative most necessary)

  1. Required, essential, whether logically inescapable or needed in order to achieve a desired result or avoid some penalty.
    Although I wished to think that all was false, it was yet necessary that that I, who thus thought, must in some sense exist.
    It is absolutely necessary that you call and confirm your appointment.
  2. Unavoidable, inevitable.
    If it is absolutely necessary to use public computers, you should plan ahead and forward your e-mail to a temporary, disposable account.
  3. (obsolete) Determined, involuntary: acting from compulsion rather than free will.
    • 1871, Richard Holt Hutton, Essays, Vol. I, p. 53:
      But that a necessary being should give birth to a being with any amount, however limited, of moral freedom, is infinitely less conceivable than that parents of the insect or fish type should give birth to a perfect mammal.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

necessary ‎(plural necessaries)

  1. (Britain, archaic euphemistic, usually with the definite article) A place to do the "necessary" business of urination and defecation: an outhouse or lavatory.

Synonyms

  • See Wikisaurus:bathroom

Related terms

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: sight · electronic · sea · #457: necessary · idea · reached · appeared

References

  • necessary in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • necessary in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Etymology

From Middle English necessarye, from Old French necessaire, from Latin necessārius ‎(“unavoidable, inevitable, required”), variant of necesse ‎(“unavoidable, inevitable”), probably from ne or non cessum, from the perfect passive participle of cēdō ‎(“yield; avoid, withdraw”); see cede.

Older use as a noun in reference to an outhouse or lavatory under the influence of English and Latin necessārium, a medieval term for the place for monks' "unavoidable" business, usually located behind or attached to monastic dormitories.

Pronunciation

  • (nonstandard) IPA(key): /ˈnɛsəɹi/

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