Necessità

Necessità is an Italian noun meaning the state of being necessary or a need. It denotes something indispensable or urgent and can refer to personal needs, social requirements, or constraints that compel action. In everyday language one speaks of avere necessità di something (to have a need for something) or di una necessità to describe a necessity. The expression beni di prima necessità refers to basic goods essential for living.

Etymology: The term derives from Latin necessitas, from necessus meaning unavoidable or necessary, and is formed with the suffix -tas to denote a state or quality. In Italian the accent on the final syllable signals the stress.

Uses and senses: The word covers practical needs (necessità quotidiane), biological needs (necessità biologiche), and social or policy contexts (necessità sociali). It also appears in phrases such as una necessità, una necessità improvvisa. In economics one speaks of beni di prima necessità to denote essential commodities.

Philosophical and legal dimensions: In philosophy, necessità contrasts with contingency and refers to truths or events that could not be otherwise (logica, metafisica). In law and ethics, stato di necessità is a recognized defense or justification when an act that would ordinarily be unlawful is necessary to prevent a greater harm, under conditions of imminence, lack of alternatives, and proportionality.

See also: bisogno, esigenza, stato di necessità, beni di prima necessità.