if need be

Signification (Anglais)

If necessary; if there is a need.

Concepts

si nécessaire

au besoin

accessoirement

si besoin est

le cas échéant

éventuellement

si jamais

s’il le faut

en cas de besoin

Synonymes

if necessary

additionally

incidentally

necessary

if ever

accessorily

if applicable

in addition

Traductions

gegebenenfalls

notfalls

desnoods

accessoriamente

eventualmente

wenn es sein muss

accesoriamente

se necessario

eventueel

c.q.

casu quo

accessòriament

إذا

gerektiğinde

accessòriament

Étymologie (Anglais)

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.