if need be

Bedeutung (Englisch)

If necessary; if there is a need.

Konzepte

gegebenenfalls

notfalls

wenn es sein muss

eventuell

unter Umständen

zur Not

Synonyme

if necessary

additionally

incidentally

necessary

if ever

accessorily

if applicable

in addition

Übersetzungen

si nécessaire

accessoirement

au besoin

desnoods

accessoriamente

eventualmente

accesoriamente

se necessario

si besoin est

se ci fosse bisogno

eventueel

c.q.

casu quo

accessòriament

إذا

Etymologie (Englisch)

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.