See if need be on Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "Need is a noun, be a subjunctive. Perhaps an alteration of Old English phrases like ġif þearf bēo, literally “if need be.” That phrase would have been completely unidiomatic, equivalent to “if a need exists” or “if there is a need.” This is because (1) Old English had no indefinite article, (2) the word for \"to be\" was also the default word for \"to exist\" and translates the modern phrase \"there is,\" and (3) the subjunctive mood was much more common and often translates the Modern English indicative.",
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"expansion": "if need be",
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"pos": "adv",
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],
"glosses": [
"If necessary; if there is a need."
],
"id": "en-if_need_be-en-adv-TYDSAZUQ",
"links": [
[
"necessary",
"necessary"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) If necessary; if there is a need."
],
"related": [
{
"word": "needs must"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "if needs be"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "v případě potřeby"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "om nødvendigt"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "desnoods"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "indien noodzakelijk"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "desgevallend"
},
{
"code": "et",
"lang": "Estonian",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "kui vaja"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "jos on tarve"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "jos on pakko"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "si besoin est"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "si nécessaire"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "au besoin"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "en cas de besoin"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "s’il faut"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "wenn es sein muss"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "wenn nötig"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "notfalls"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "falls nötig"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "ha szükséges"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "se ci fosse bisogno"
},
{
"code": "ang",
"lang": "Old English",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "ġif þearf biþ"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "w razie potrzeby"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "w razie konieczności"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "jeżeli to konieczne"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "ewentualnie"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "jeśli trzeba"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "caso necessário (seja)"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"english": "for",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "se necessário"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "jésli ponádobitsja",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "е́сли пона́добится"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "v slúčaje neobxodímosti",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "в слу́чае необходи́мости"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"tags": [
"formal"
],
"word": "si es menester"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "om så krävs"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "om så behövs"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "om så erfordras"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "vid behov"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "gerektiğinde"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Old English"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-if need be.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c6/En-au-if_need_be.ogg/En-au-if_need_be.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/En-au-if_need_be.ogg"
}
],
"word": "if need be"
}
{
"etymology_text": "Need is a noun, be a subjunctive. Perhaps an alteration of Old English phrases like ġif þearf bēo, literally “if need be.” That phrase would have been completely unidiomatic, equivalent to “if a need exists” or “if there is a need.” This is because (1) Old English had no indefinite article, (2) the word for \"to be\" was also the default word for \"to exist\" and translates the modern phrase \"there is,\" and (3) the subjunctive mood was much more common and often translates the Modern English indicative.",
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"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adv",
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{
"word": "needs must"
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"glosses": [
"If necessary; if there is a need."
],
"links": [
[
"necessary",
"necessary"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) If necessary; if there is a need."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"wikipedia": [
"Old English"
]
}
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"synonyms": [
{
"word": "if needs be"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "v případě potřeby"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "om nødvendigt"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "desnoods"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "indien noodzakelijk"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "desgevallend"
},
{
"code": "et",
"lang": "Estonian",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "kui vaja"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "jos on tarve"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "jos on pakko"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "si besoin est"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "si nécessaire"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "au besoin"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "en cas de besoin"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "s’il faut"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "wenn es sein muss"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "wenn nötig"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "notfalls"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "falls nötig"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "ha szükséges"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "se ci fosse bisogno"
},
{
"code": "ang",
"lang": "Old English",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "ġif þearf biþ"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "w razie potrzeby"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "w razie konieczności"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "jeżeli to konieczne"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "ewentualnie"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "jeśli trzeba"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "caso necessário (seja)"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"english": "for",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "se necessário"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "jésli ponádobitsja",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "е́сли пона́добится"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "v slúčaje neobxodímosti",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "в слу́чае необходи́мости"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"tags": [
"formal"
],
"word": "si es menester"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "om så krävs"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "om så behövs"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "om så erfordras"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "vid behov"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "if necessary",
"word": "gerektiğinde"
}
],
"word": "if need be"
}
Download raw JSONL data for if need be meaning in All languages combined (5.2kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-08 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (bb46d54 and 0c3c9f6). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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