Compulsoriness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or quality of being required by rule or law; the condition of being mandatory or obligatory; the characteristic of enforcing compliance or necessity
2. The condition of something being obligatory; the attribute of compelling adherence to a rule or action; the nature of requiring compulsory observance or action
3. The quality of what is imposed as unavoidable; the condition of holding compulsory force or authority; the state of mandating submission to a regulation or command

Etymology: "Compulsoriness" is simply "compulsory" with the suffix "-ness" attached, and the suffix is the older part of the story. "-ness" is an ancient English ending, descending from Old English "-nes" and ultimately from a Germanic suffix that turned adjectives into nouns of state or quality, so that "good" gave "goodness" and "kind" gave "kindness." Its lineage runs back through Middle English "-nesse" to Proto-Germanic forms, long before the word it now attaches to existed in English. The base word, "compulsory," is the one that came in later and by a different route. It is built from "compel" and the adjective-forming ending "-ory," and it reflects the Latin verb "compellere," meaning "to drive together" or "to force," which is the root sense that still lies behind the modern meaning of obligation. The noun itself is a plain, late formation. "Compulsoriness" describes the quality of being compulsory, so it names the state of obligation rather than the act of compelling. Its formation is transparent enough that it needs no special explanation beyond the two parts already given.

Synonyms: obligation, necessity, requirement, coercion, compulsion

Antonyms: voluntariness, freedom, discretion