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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

imperative en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ (Canada, General-American)
  • /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • [ɪmˈpeɹ.ə.ɾɪv] (Australia)
  • (Texas) audio
  • /ɪmˈpeɹ.ə.tɪv/ (Australia)
  • [ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.ɾɪv] (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- Proto-Indo-European *pr̥h₃o- Latin *paro- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin parō Latin imperō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin īvus Latin imperātīvusbor. English imperative Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus.

Meanings

  1. Essential; crucial; extremely important.
    • Meantime, alterations at King William Street had become imperative, and by December 22, 1895, the station had been remodelled, as at Stockwell, to provide an island platform with lines each side, and a scissors crossing. 1941 May, “Jubilee of the City Tube”, in Railway Magazine, page 224:
    • Give this document to Ozzy. It's imperative that he reads and understands it. Got it? 2019, Con Man Games, SmashGames, quoting Felix, Kindergarten 2, SmashGames:
    • That you come here right now is imperative.
  2. Of, or relating to the imperative mood.
  3. Having semantics that incorporates mutable variables.
  4. Expressing a command; authoritatively or absolutely directive.
    • The suits of kings are imperative. 1612–1634, [Joseph Hall], “(please specify the page)”, in [Contemplations vpon the Principall Passages of the Holy Storie], volume (please specify |volume=I to VIII), London, →OCLC:
    • imperative orders

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more imperative Degree=Cmp lexicographic
imper. Abbr=Yes alternative lexicographic
most imperative Degree=Sup lexicographic
imp. Abbr=Yes alternative lexicographic

Antonyms

functional

Deriveds

nonimperative · imperative mandate · postimperative · imperativist · imperativeness · imperative programming · imperative language · whimperative · unimperative · imperatival

Hypernyms

mandative

Translations (73)

it imperativo (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · cs rozkazovací (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · ca imperatiu (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · pt imperativo (essential) · ru повели́тельный (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · la necessum (essential) · tr mecburi (essential) · hu ellentmondást nem tűrő (authoritatively or absolutely directive) · cmn 迫切的 (essential) · cs rozkazovací (essential) · ko 반드 필요한 (essential) · ca imperatiu (essential) · es imperativo (essential) · cs nutný (essential) · cmn 命令式的 (authoritatively or absolutely directive) · tr zorunlu (essential) · ar ضَرُورِيّ (essential) · az əmr şəkli (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · ar أَسَاسِيّ (essential) · la necessus (essential) · mk заповеден (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · tl pautos (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · fr impératif (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · fi imperatiivinen (computing: having semantics that incorporates mutable variables) · fa دستوری (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · ru императи́вный (computing: having semantics that incorporates mutable variables) · hu okvetlenül/rendkívül/különösen/égetően fontos (essential) · de essenziell (essential) · pl arcyważny (essential) · hu parancsoló (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · fi pakollinen (essential) · cmn 至關重要的 /至关重要的 (essential) · is mikilvægur (essential) · bn অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ (essential) · de notwendig (essential) · it necessaria (essential) · pt essencial (essential) · el επιτακτικός (essential) · gd àithneach (essential) · de wesentlich (essential) · pl rozkazujący (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · bg заповеднически (authoritatively or absolutely directive) · fi välttämätön (essential) · hu felszólító (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · fr indispensable (essential) · fr impératif (essential) · kab anaḍ (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · de zwingend (authoritatively or absolutely directive) · fi imperatiivinen (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · bg повели́телен (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · ru обяза́тельный (essential) · cmn 必須的 /必须的 (essential) · uk наказо́вий (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · pdt drinjent (essential) · pt imperativo (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · tr emir kipi (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · fi pakottava (authoritatively or absolutely directive) · it necessario (essential) · eo imperativa (essential) · bn জরুরি (essential) · fr essentiel (essential) · es imperativo (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · bg безапелационен (authoritatively or absolutely directive) · de unverzichtbar (essential) · be зага́дны (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · de essentiell (essential) · ko 긴요한 (essential) · ga tiarnúil (authoritatively or absolutely directive) · sv imperativ (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · cmn 祈使的 (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood) · it imperativo (essential) · nl noodzakelijk (essential) · sk rozkazovací (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)

imperative en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ (Canada, General-American)
  • /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • [ɪmˈpeɹ.ə.ɾɪv] (Australia)
  • (Texas) audio
  • /ɪmˈpeɹ.ə.tɪv/ (Australia)
  • [ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.ɾɪv] (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- Proto-Indo-European *pr̥h₃o- Latin *paro- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin parō Latin imperō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin īvus Latin imperātīvusbor. English imperative Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) The grammatical mood expressing an order (see jussive). In English, the imperative form of a verb is the same as that of the bare infinitive.
    • The verbs in sentences like "Do it!" and "Say what you like!" are in the imperative.
  2. (countable) A verb in the imperative mood.
  3. (countable) An essential action, a must: something which is imperative.
    • Visiting Berlin is an imperative.
    • The new imperative for investment is the Government's objective to secure carbon-neutral transport emissions by 2040. 2020 December 2, Industry Insider, “The costs of cutting carbon”, in Rail, page 76:
    • Anything grandiose or historically based tends to sound flat and banal when it reaches English, partly because translators get stuck between contradictory imperatives: juggling fidelity to the original sense with what is vocally viable, they tend to resort to a genteel fustian which lacks either poetic resonance or demotic realism, adding to a sense of artificiality rather than enhancing credibility. 2014 March 1, Rupert Christiansen, “English translations rarely sing”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review), page R19:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
imper. Abbr=Yes alternative lexicographic
imp. Abbr=Yes alternative lexicographic
imperatives Number=Plur lexicographic

Coordinates

assertoric · interrogative

Deriveds

biological imperative · first imperative · categorical imperative · second imperative · moral imperative · compound imperative · hypothetical imperative

Relateds

volitive · jussive

Synonyms

required · imperative mood

Translations (23)

pl rozkaźnik (verb in imperative) · it necessario (essential action) · pt necessidade (essential action) · es imperativo (verb in imperative) · pl imperatiwus (verb in imperative) · la necessitās (essential action) · fi pakko (essential action) · es imperativo (essential action) · is nauðsyn (essential action) · hu elengedhetetlen dolog/követelmény (essential action) · it imperativo (essential action) · pl imperativus (verb in imperative) · hu imperatívusz (essential action) · izh käskyforma (verb in imperative) · fi imperatiivi (verb in imperative) · de Muss (essential action) · tr zorunluluk (essential action) · la opus (essential action) · fi pakollinen juttu (essential action) · tr mecburiyet (essential action) · nl must (essential action) · mi tūhau (essential action) · fr impératif (essential action)