Urgent
/ˈɜːr.dʒənt/noun
Requiring immediate action or attention.
Did you know?The word entered English through French from Latin urgens, the present participle of urgere, meaning “to press, drive, or urge,” so its core image is literally something pressing down on you.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wergʰ-
“to press, drive, work”
Latin
Latin
urgere
“to press, drive, push hard”
Latin
Latin
urgens
“pressing, urgent”
Old French
Old French
urgent
“urgent, pressing”
Middle English
English
urgent
“pressing, requiring immediate action”
Modern English
English
urgent
“requiring immediate attention”