Require Means to Seek Something Again
To require is to need or to insist on. The Latin means to seek again, and the sense of insistence came later.
To require is to need something, or to demand it as a condition. The Latin *requirere* means to seek again or ask after, and the modern firmness came from official use: when a rule requires something, refusing is not an option. In gentler use it simply means need.
- To need. *The recipe requires two eggs.*
- To demand as a condition. *Visitors are required to sign in.*
- Requirement — something needed. *Entry requirements.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | require | Require a licence. |
| Past | required | Required by law. |
| Noun | requirement | A legal requirement. |
| Plural | requirements | System requirements. |
| Adjective | requisite | The requisite skills. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The job requires two years' experience.A condition.
- Do you require anything else?A formal way of asking if you need anything.
- Attendance is required.Not optional.
Requirement words
- Requirement — something that must be met
- Prerequisite — something required beforehand
- Criterion — a standard used to judge
- Condition — a term that must be satisfied
- Requisite — the adjective form, meaning necessary
From Old French *requerre*, from Latin *requirere*, to seek again, from *re-* and *quaerere*, to seek. The spelling was later reshaped towards the Latin.
Require or need?
Need is the everyday word. Require is more formal and carries a sense of obligation imposed from outside.
Requisite or prerequisite?
Requisite means necessary. A prerequisite must be satisfied before something else can begin.