Main Entry: ¹ex·act

Pronunciation: \ig-ˈzakt\

Function: transitive verb

Etymology: Middle English, to require as payment, from Latin exactus, past participle of exigere to drive out, demand, measure, from ex- + agere to drive — more at agent

Date: 1564

1 : to call for forcibly or urgently and obtain <from them has been exacted the ultimate sacrifice — D. D. Eisenhower>
2 : to call for as necessary or desirable

synonyms see demand

— ex·act·able \-ˈzak-tə-bəl\ adjective

— ex·ac·tor also ex·act·er \-ˈzak-tər\ noun