egence

English

Etymology

From Latin egens, egentis, present participle of egere (“to be needy, suffer want”).

Noun

egence (countable and uncountable, plural egences)

1. The state of needing, or of suffering a natural want.
   • 1876, John Grote, Treatise on Moral Ideals:

     Egence is the life of the universe : the highest forms of egence are variously called ' love ' : the lowest are simple appetence , perhaps merely physical .

References

“egence”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.