necessarium

See also: Necessarium

English

Alternative forms

• Necessarium

Etymology

From Latin necessarium (“reredorter; outhouse”), from necesse (“unavoidable or necessary [thing]”) + -ārium (“-arium, -ium: forming locations”)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌnɛsɪˈsɛəɹɪəm/, /ˌnɛsɪˈsɑːɹɪəm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌnɛsɪˈsɛɹi.əm/

Noun

necessarium (plural necessariums or necessaria)

1. (architecture) Synonym of reredorter: a monastery's latrine, outhouse, or lavatory, typically located behind the dormitory.
   • 1848, The Archaeological Journal, Vol. V, page 101:

     The other outlet from the pisalis... leads to the necessarium, in the corner of which a light... is kept burning.

   • 1878, "Abbey" in Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. I, p. 13:

     A passage at the other end [of the dormitory from the passage to the south transept of St Gall's church leads to the “necessarium” (I), a portion of the monastic buildings always planned with extreme care.

2. (humorous, sometimes capitalized or with the definite article) A lavatory.
   • 1967 December 21, The Listener, page 802:

     Viewers... don't mind having a hundred variations, from ‘The Necessarium’ to ‘The Thunder-Box’ to choose from.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:bathroom

Derived terms

• necessary, the necessary

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ne.kesˈsaː.ri.um/, [nɛ.kɛsˈsaː.ri.ũ]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ne.t͡ʃesˈsa.ri.um/, [ne.t͡ʃesˈsaː.ri.um]

Noun

necessārium n (genitive necessāriī); second declension

1. A reredorter: a monastery's latrine, outhouse, or lavatory.
2. Any outhouse.

Declension

Second declension.

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	necessārium	necessāria
genitive	necessāriī	necessāriōrum
dative	necessāriō	necessāriīs
accusative	necessārium	necessāria
ablative	necessāriō	necessāriīs
vocative	necessārium	necessāria

Adjective

necessārium

1. nominative neuter singular of necessārius