Word of the Day for Monday June 20, 2005 exigent \EK-suh-juhnt\, adjective: 1. Requiring immediate aid or action; pressing; critical. 2. Requiring much effort or expense; demanding; exacting. Legislative sessions are long, constituents' demands are exigent, policy problems are increasingly complicated. --Anthony King, "Running Scared," [1]The Atlantic, January 1997 An exception to the warrant rule was established when exigent circumstances required officials to act immediately. --Warren Richey, "Of merchant ships and crack-sellers' cars," [2]Christian Science Monitor, May 20, 1999 It is true that the greatest modern novels ask more of us, and of themselves as well. But within their own less exigent terms, Roth's novels amount to an impressive achievement. --Michael Andre Bernstein, "The vivid fabrications of a great elegist," [3]The New Republic, May 7, 2001 The purpose of the book is "to confirm the poet in a lonely and exigent task, which is all the more necessary in these times". --Patsy McGarry, "The mad monk of the mid-west," [4]Irish Times, December 22, 2001 _________________________________________________________ Exigent is derived from the present participle of Latin exigere, "to demand." References 1. http://www.theatlantic.com/ 2. http://www.csmonitor.com/ 3. http://www.thenewrepublic.com/ 4. http://www.ireland.com/ Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=9&q=exigent