Exigent

adjective

Needing immediate attention or action; urgent

Usage

Your Scrabble game is winding down; all the tiles have been taken from the bag, and the other players are planning their last moves. As they play their final words, you start to panic: you're down by 14 points, and the last desirable spots are disappearing. You have an X, which should be helpful, as well as a G, a couple of Es…wait, why is everyone looking at you? Oh jeez, it's your turn - but what in the world do you play? Your mind is racing, but you're coming up blank. With only one turn left, it's absolutely exigent that you come up with a winning word. It is EXIGENT!

Exigent describes something that demands your immediate consideration. Things which are exigent simply cannot be delayed: like a grease-fire in your kitchen, a fly ball soaring towards your spot in the outfield, or a police car signaling you to pull over, it's imperative to tend to them as soon as possible. The word is often used in times of emergency (for instance, there's not much that's more exigent than a truck speeding straight at you), but it can also describe more minor events which are simply pressing at a given time. Sometimes, exigent is even applied to people, usually those loud, drastic types whose concerns need your attention right now and all the time!

In the United States, an exigent circumstance is a legal term that specifically describes a situation where law enforcement officers are allowed to enter private property without a warrant. Exigent circumstances are defined by a state of emergency, such as a suspicion that there are hostages inside or that a suspect is getting ready to escape out the back door. If the officers don't respond immediately, the situation is likely to be compromised.

Example: Cornered by her parents, Jess realized it was exigent that she think up an excuse for coming home so late.

Example: After driving all afternoon without a break, my need to find a restroom was exigent.

Origin

Etymologists aren't completely certain whether exigent or exigency came first. However, the roots of both words can be traced back to the Latin verb exigere, which translates either to "to demand or compel" or "to drive out" (think of something so intense that it drives a response out of you). Exigent derived most directly from exigentem, which, as the present participle of exigere, meant "demanding." The adjective first appeared in its familiar form in English during the seventeenth century.

Derivative Words

Exigence/Exigency: These nouns (which mean the same thing) usually refer to the things that are relevant or necessary at a given time, often being used specifically to indicate an emergency or crisis. They can also refer describe the condition of being exigent.

Example: The blare of an ambulance alerted passerby to the exigence of the situation.

Example: World leaders must strike a balance between working for global good and meeting the exigencies of their countries.

Example: The local fire department always has a unit on duty to be prepared for any exigency.

Exigently:This adverb characterizes an action as done urgently or requiring immediate attention.

Example: The new parents were awoken by their exigently crying baby.

In Literature

From Erwin Schrodinger's What is Life?: With Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches:

The particularly exigent demand is the square root. For although a million is a reasonably large number, an accuracy of just 1 in 1,000 is not overwhelmingly good, if a thing claims the dignity of being a 'Law of Nature'.

Here, the quantum physicist Schrodinger uses exigent to describe the pressing need for accuracy in determining the most fundamental of scientific concepts.

Mnemonic

It's exigent to exit a burning building.
Exigent is urgent