Exigency
/ˈɛk.sɪ.dʒən.si/noun
An urgent need or demand; a pressing situation requiring action.
Did you know?Exigency comes from Latin exigere, originally meaning “to drive out, exact, or demand,” so the word has always carried the pressure of something being forced from a situation.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
exigere
“to drive out, demand, exact, measure out”
Late Latin
Latin
exigentia
“a pressing need or requirement”
Old French
Old French
exigence
“urgency, necessity, pressing demand”
14th Century
English
exigence
“urgent need or demand”
Modern English
English
exigency
“an urgent situation or necessity”