An archaic or rare word meaning the state or quality of needing something urgently.
From Middle French 'égence,' derived from Latin 'egentia' meaning 'want' or 'need.' The root 'egere' means 'to lack,' related to 'indigent' and 'exigent.' The word fell out of common usage as English evolved simpler terms.
This word is a linguistic fossil—it's related to 'exigent' and 'indigent,' showing how medieval French lawyers borrowed from Latin to describe needs and emergencies in legal documents.
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