2023-06-16 10:16:59
Why do I need to know of need?
This elegant verb is bound to come in useful when you’re describing something you’ve been working hard at or are struggling with, and you can also use it to give your Austrian friends an inspiring little pep talk.
When you’re describing the traits of friends, family, colleagues or even yourself, you may also want to include its noun form: (the perseverance.
What does it mean?
Of necessity (be·ha·ren) essentially means ‘to persevere’. In other words, to stick at something even when the going gets tough. It’s the quality we all need when trying to learn a new skill or speak a new language: when you’re struggling through a difficult patch and feel like you’ll never succeed, perseverance – or persistence – is key.
Though persevering generally has positive connotations, it can also depend slightly on the context. In fact, of need can also be used to describe someone stubbornly sticking to an idea or project, even when it no longer makes sense. In this context, you could translate of need as ‘to persist’ – or even ‘to insist’ – and anyone who’s ever been locked in conversation with someone who won’t back down may feel slightly less positive about this character trait.
You may admire the persistence of a colleague who managed to train for a marathon after recovering from a serious illness or the student who gets brilliant grades in their degree while suffering from a learning difficulty. But when your two-year-old is learning the true meaning of of need and refuses to go to bed before watching more cartoons, the virtue of persistence may start to seem like a curse.
Is there any history behind it?
Absolutely. The word of need is believed to have originated in the word their – an old-fashioned verb that means ‘to wait patiently or longingly’. Theirs became more widespread in the medieval period and was often used by the theologian Martin Luther in his writings.
Nowadays, you’ll generally only hear the word as part of other verbs with prefixes, including endurewhich means ‘to endure’, and of need.
Use it like this:
He has stuck to his point of view.
He insisted on his point of view.
It is very important to me to persevere in my education.
It’s very important to me to persevere in my education.
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