Adjective: absolutely necessary or very important. Noun: a command or something that must be done.
From Latin 'imperativus' meaning 'commanding', from 'imperare' (to command), which also gives us 'emperor'. It originally referred to the mood of verbs used for giving orders.
When teachers say, “It is imperative that you study,” they’re basically giving a royal command. In grammar, an ‘imperative sentence’ is literally a command form of the verb. The word always carries that sense of ‘this isn’t optional’.
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