Requirement

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈkwʌɪəm(ə)nt/

Definitions

1. Something that must be done or obtained in order to achieve a particular goal or meet a specific standard
2. A necessary condition or stipulation that must be fulfilled in order to accomplish a certain objective or comply with established criteria
3. An essential factor or obligation that needs to be satisfied to achieve a desired outcome or adhere to predetermined guidelines

Etymology: "Requirement" is a plain English formation: the verb "require" with the suffix "-ment" added. The suffix comes down through Middle English from Old French "-ment", which was borrowed from Latin "-mentum", a noun-forming ending that turned verbs into names for the act, result, or means of doing something. Its ancestry reaches back to Proto-Indo-European, but the working parts in English are simply the verb and the suffix. The verb "require" arrived through Old French from Latin "requirere", meaning to seek again or ask for back. So the word's core idea is one of asking for something that is due, and "requirement" names the thing that is demanded. A requirement is literally whatever must be obtained or met before a goal can be reached.

Synonyms: necessity, condition, stipulation

Antonyms: option, choice, exemption