necessary

The story

1. Latin · derived fromnecessārius“unavoidable, inevitable, required”
2. Old French · derived fromnecessaire
3. Middle English · inherited fromnecessarye
4. English todaynecessary

From Middle English necessarye, from Old French necessaire, from Latin necessārius (“unavoidable, inevitable, required”), variant of necesse (“unavoidable, inevitable”), probably from ne or non cessum, from the perfect passive participle of cēdō (“yield; avoid, withdraw”); see cede. Older use as a noun in reference to an outhouse or lavatory under the influence of English and Latin necessārium, a medieval term for the place for monks’ “unavoidable” business, usually located behind or attached to monastic dormitories.

Words from the same roots