necessarium

See also: Necessarium

English

Alternative forms

• Necessarium

Etymology

From Latin necessarium (“reredorter; outhouse”), from necesse (“unavoidable or necessary [thing]”) + -ārium (“-arium, -ium: forming locations”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌnɛsɪˈsɛəɹɪəm/, /ˌnɛsɪˈsɑːɹɪəm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌnɛsɪˈsɛɹi.əm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

necessarium (plural necessariums or necessaria)

1. (architecture) Synonym of reredorter: a monastery's latrine, outhouse, or lavatory, typically located behind the dormitory.
   • 1848, The Archaeological Journal, volume V, page 101:

     The other outlet from the pisalis […] leads to the necessarium, in the corner of which a light […] is kept burning.

   • 1878, "Abbey" in Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. I, p. 13:

     A passage at the other end [of the dormitory from the passage to the south transept of St Gall's church leads to the “necessarium” (I), a portion of the monastic buildings always planned with extreme care.

2. (humorous, sometimes capitalized or with the definite article) A lavatory.
   • 1967 December 21, The Listener, page 802:

     Viewers […] don't mind having a hundred variations, from ‘The Necessarium’ to ‘The Thunder-Box’ to choose from.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:bathroom

Derived terms

• necessary, the necessary

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ne.kesˈsaː.ri.um/, [nɛkɛs̠ˈs̠äːriʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ne.t͡ʃesˈsa.ri.um/, [net͡ʃesˈsäːrium]

Noun

necessārium n (genitive necessāriī or necessārī); second declension

1. A reredorter: a monastery's latrine, outhouse, or lavatory.
2. Any outhouse.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	necessārium	necessāria
Genitive	necessāriī necessārī1	necessāriōrum
Dative	necessāriō	necessāriīs
Accusative	necessārium	necessāria
Ablative	necessāriō	necessāriīs
Vocative	necessārium	necessāria

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Adjective

necessārium

1. nominative neuter singular of necessārius