indispensable
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Medieval Latin indispensabilis, corresponding to in- + dispensable. Compare French indispensable.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
indispensable (comparative more indispensable, superlative most indispensable)
- (ecclesiastical, obsolete) Not admitting ecclesiastical dispensation; not subject to release or exemption; that cannot be allowed by bending the canonical rules. [16th-17th c.]
- (of duties, rules etc.) Unbendable, that cannot be set aside or ignored. [from 17th c.]
- The law was moral and indispensable. -Bp. Burnet
- Absolutely necessary or requisite; that one cannot do without. [from 17th c.]
- An indispensable component of a heart-healthy diet.
- 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 2, Internal Combustion[1]:
- But through the oligopoly, charcoal fuel proliferated throughout London's trades and industries. By the 1200s, brewers and bakers, tilemakers, glassblowers, pottery producers, and a range of other craftsmen all became hour-to-hour consumers of charcoal. This only magnified the indispensable nature of the oligopolists.
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Wikisaurus:requisite
Antonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
not dispensable
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not subject to exemption
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absolutely necessary
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Noun[edit]
indispensable (plural indispensables)
- A thing that is not dispensable; a necessity. [from 17th c.]
- (in the plural, colloquial, dated) Trousers. [from 19th c.]
Catalan[edit]
Adjective[edit]
indispensable m, f (masculine and feminine plural indispensables)
French[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
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Audio (file)
Adjective[edit]
indispensable (masculine and feminine, plural indispensables)
Spanish[edit]
Adjective[edit]
indispensable m and f (plural indispensables)
