Exigent
/ˈɛk.sɪ.dʒənt/noun
Requiring immediate attention or action; urgent.
Did you know?Exigent comes from Latin exigere, literally “to drive out, demand, exact,” a verb that could imply forceful pressure long before it meant an urgent situation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ag-
“to drive, lead, move”
Latin
Latin
exigere
“to drive out, demand, exact, weigh out”
Late Latin
Latin
exigēns
“demanding, urgent”
Old French
Old French
exigent
“urgent, pressing”
Middle English
English
exigent
“pressing, requiring immediate action”
Modern English
English
exigent
“requiring immediate attention or action”