Word of the Day

: July 25, 2014

requisite

adjective REK-wuh-zut

What It Means

: essential, necessary

requisite in Context

The application will not be considered until all of the requisite forms have been submitted.

"This smaller, slightly more upscale pizza shop … has all the requisite Wicker Park trappings: chalkboard menu, exposed brick, communal seating." - Kate Bernot, Chicago Tribune, June 20, 2014

Did You Know?

Acquiring an understanding of where today's word comes from won't require a formal inquiry. Without question, the quest begins with Latin "quaerere," which means "to ask" and is an ancestor of a number of English words, including "acquire," "require," "inquiry," "question," "quest," and, of course, "requisite." From "quaerere" came "requirere," meaning "to ask again." Repeated requests can express a need, and the past participle of "requirere," which is "requisitus," came to mean "needed" or "necessary." The English language acquired "requisite" when it was adopted into Middle English back in the 1400s.