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Webster 1913 Edition

Necessary

Nec′es-sa-ry

,
Adj.
[L.
necessarius
, from
necesse
unavoidable, necessary; of uncertain origin: cf. F.
nécessaire
.]
1.
Such as must be; impossible to be otherwise; not to be avoided; inevitable.
Death, a
necessary
end,
Will come when it will come.
Shakespeare
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.”
Shak.
A certain kind of temper is
necessary
to the pleasure and quiet of our minds.
Tillotson.
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
.

Nec′es-sa-ry

,
Noun.
;
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.

Webster 1828 Edition

Necessary

NECESSARY

,
Adj.
1.
That must be; that cannot be otherwise; indispensably requisite. It is necessary that every effect should have a cause.
2.
Indispensable; requisite; essential; that cannot be otherwise without preventing the purpose intended. Air is necessary to support animal life; food is necessary to nourish the body; holiness is a necessary qualification for happiness; health is necessary to the enjoyment of pleasure; subjection to law is necessary to the safety of persons and property.
3.
Unavoidable; as a necessary inference or consequence from facts or arguments.
4.
Acting from necessity or compulsion; opposed to free. Whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed.

NECESSARY

,
Noun.
A privy.

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