exigency

  • 1Exigency — Ex i*gen*cy, n.; pl. {Exigencies}. [LL. exigentia: cf. F. exigence.] The state of being exigent; urgent or exacting want; pressing necessity or distress; need; a case demanding immediate action, supply, or remedy; as, an unforeseen exigency. The… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2exigency — ex·i·gen·cy / ek sə jən sē, ik si jən sē/ n pl cies 1: that which is required in a particular situation usu. used in pl. 2 a: the quality or state of being exigent b: a state of affairs that makes urgent demands Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of… …

    Law dictionary

  • 3exigency — UK [ˈeksɪdʒ(ə)nsɪ] / UK [ɪɡˈzɪdʒ(ə)nsɪ] / US [ˈeksɪdʒənsɪ] / US [ɪɡˈzɪdʒənsɪ] or exigence UK [ˈeksɪdʒ(ə)ns] / US [ˈeksɪdʒəns] noun [countable, usually plural] Word forms exigency : singular exigency plural exigencies formal something difficult… …

    English dictionary

  • 4exigency — 1580s, from M.Fr. exigence, from L. exigentia urgency, from L. exigentem (nom. exigens), from exigere to demand, require; drive out (see EXACT (Cf. exact) (v.)). Related: Exigencies (1650s) …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 5exigency — 1 pass, emergency, pinch, strait, crisis, contingency, juncture Analogous words: difficulty, vicissitude, rigor, hardship: *predicament, plight, fix, quandary, dilemma, jam, pickle, scrape 2 necessity, *need Analogous words: demanding or demand,… …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 6exigency — / exigence [n] difficulty; demand acuteness, constraint, contingency, crisis, criticalness, crossroad, demandingness, dilemma, distress, duress, emergency, extremity, fix, hardship, imperativeness, jam, juncture, necessity, need, needfulness,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 7exigency — (also exigence) ► NOUN (pl. exigencies) ▪ urgent need or demand. ORIGIN Latin exigentia, from exigere complete, ascertain, enforce …

    English terms dictionary

  • 8exigency — [eks′əjənseks′ə jən sē; ] also [ eg zij′ənsē, igzij′ən sē] n. pl. exigencies [ML exigentia] 1. the condition or quality of being exigent; urgency 2. a situation calling for immediate action or attention 3. [pl.] pressing needs; demands;… …

    English World dictionary

  • 9exigency — noun (plural cies) Date: 1581 1. that which is required in a particular situation usually used in plural < exceptionally quick in responding to the exigencies of modern warfare D. B. Ottaway > 2. a. the quality or state of being exigent b. a&#8230; …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 10exigency — /ek si jeuhn see, ig zij euhn /, n., pl. exigencies. 1. exigent state or character; urgency. 2. Usually, exigencies. the need, demand, or requirement intrinsic to a circumstance, condition, etc.: the exigencies of city life. 3. a case or&#8230; …

    Universalium