Etymology Map
Back to all words

Urgent

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means requiring immediate action

Where does the word "urgent" come from? It comes from Latin urgere, passing through French before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
urgere
Latin · ancient
"to press hard"
related to Old English 'wrecan', to drive
2
Stage 2 of 3
urgent
French · 1400s
"pressing"
Latin 'urgere' meant to press hard; English first used it in the phrase 'urgent causes', pressing matters
3
Stage 3 of 3
urgent
English · 1400s
"pressing"
'urgent care' dates from the 1900s
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Urgent’s story begins in Latin: urgere meant “to press hard.” Related to Old English 'wrecan', to drive. By 1400s, the word had taken hold in French as urgent. Latin 'urgere' meant to press hard; English first used it in the phrase 'urgent causes', pressing matters. It reached English by 1400s as urgent. 'urgent care' dates from the 1900s. Today, urgent means requiring immediate action.