NECESSARY • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Necessary

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/nˈɛsəsˌɛri/ Listen

adjective

Necessary adj.

1.

Such as must be; impossible to be otherwise; not to be avoided; inevitable. "Death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come."

2.

Impossible to be otherwise, or to be dispensed with, without preventing the attainment of a desired result; indispensable; requisite; essential. "'T is necessary he should die." "A certain kind of temper is necessary to the pleasure and quiet of our minds."

3.

Acting from necessity or compulsion; involuntary; opposed to free; as, whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed.

noun

Necessary n. (pl. necessaries)

1.

A thing that is necessary or indispensable to some purpose; something that one can not do without; a requisite; an essential; used chiefly in the plural; as, the necessaries of life.

2.

A privy; a water-closet.

3.

pl. (Law) Such things, in respect to infants, lunatics, and married women, as are requisite for support suitable to station.

See images of 'Necessary'

Etymology of 'Necessary'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Necessary" Quotes from Famous Books

... success in the magical art, it was necessary for the operator to have his whole soul in his work, otherwise his labour was in vain. Ancient philosophers have informed us that when the human mind is intent upon magical work, it is joined with the mind and intelligence of the stars, and hence the wonderful ...

— The Mysteries of All Nations • James Grant

... not so strongly influenced, partly because the dukes belonged to the old native dynasty and partly because the dukedom entered later into the current of trade intercourse. French was used at court, and a knowledge of it was considered as a necessary accomplishment for a nobleman. But the dukes used Flemish in their relations with their Flemish subjects, and when Latin gradually disappeared, the popular language took its place ...

— Belgium - From the Roman Invasion to the Present Day • Emile Cammaerts

... lions, whilst the fourth was plain, and having on them inscriptions which directed that the three Ambassadors should receive honour and service all through the land as if rendered to the Prince in person, and that horses and all provisions, and everything necessary, should be supplied to them. And so they found in fact; for throughout the country they received ample and excellent supplies of everything needful; and many a time indeed, as I may tell you, they were furnished with 200 horsemen, more or less, to escort them on their way in safety. And ...

— The Travels of Marco Polo Volume 1 • Marco Polo and Rustichello of Pisa

... queen-mother Emma [83]. Never in his whole life had Edward been so stubborn as on this occasion. For here, more than his realm was concerned, he was threatened in the peace of his household, and the comfort of his tepid friendships. With the recall of his powerful father-in-law, he foresaw the necessary reintrusion of his wife upon the charm of his chaste solitude. His favourite Normans would be banished, he should be surrounded with faces he abhorred. All the representations of Stigand fell ...

— Harold, Complete - The Last Of The Saxon Kings • Edward Bulwer-Lytton

... caused by these ideas: it is only in exceptional cases that nursing need be given up; the natural way is always the best. But where necessary there need be no hesitation in putting an infant on the bottle. The milk of a healthy cow, or condensed milk of first-rate brand, is much to be preferred to that of a wearied, ...

— Papers on Health • John Kirk

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