noun pl. necessities
- the power of natural law that cannot be other than it is; natural causation; physical compulsion placed on man by nature; fate
- anything that is inevitable, unavoidable, etc. as a result of natural law; that which is necessary in natural sequence
- the compulsion or constraint of man-made circumstances, habit, custom, law, etc.; logical or moral conditions making certain actions inevitable or obligatory: faced by the necessity to earn a living
- what is required by this social or legal compulsion
- great or imperative need
- something that cannot be done without; necessary thing: often used in pl.
- the state or quality of being necessary
- want; poverty
Origin:
ME necessite < OFr nécessité < L necessitas < necesse: see necessary