demand

[dih-mand, -mahnd] /dɪˈmænd, -ˈmɑnd/
verb (used with object)
1.
to ask for with proper authority; claim as a right:
He demanded payment of the debt.
2.
to ask for peremptorily or urgently:
He demanded sanctuary. She demanded that we let her in.
3.
to call for or require as just, proper, or necessary:
This task demands patience. Justice demands objectivity.
4.
Law.
  1. to lay formal legal claim to.
  2. to summon, as to court.
verb (used without object)
5.
to make a demand; inquire; ask.
noun
6.
the act of demanding.
7.
something that is demanded.
8.
an urgent or pressing requirement:
demands upon one's time.
9.
Economics.
  1. the desire to purchase, coupled with the power to do so.
  2. the quantity of goods that buyers will take at a particular price.
10.
a requisition; a legal claim:
The demands of the client could not be met.
11.
the state of being wanted or sought for purchase or use:
an article in great demand.
12.
Archaic. inquiry; question.
Idioms
13.
on demand, upon presentation or request for payment:
The fee is payable on demand.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English demaunden < Anglo-French demaunder < Medieval Latin dēmandāre to demand, L to entrust, equivalent to dē- de- + mandāre to commission, order; see mandate
Related forms
demandable, adjective
demander, noun
counterdemand, noun
overdemand, verb, noun
predemand, verb (used with object)
superdemand, noun
undemanded, adjective
Synonyms
3. exact. Demand, claim, require imply making an authoritative request. To demand is to ask in a bold, authoritative way: to demand an explanation. To claim is to assert a right to something: He claimed it as his due. To require is to ask for something as being necessary; to compel: The Army requires absolute obedience of its soldiers.
British Dictionary definitions for on demand

demand

/dɪˈmɑːnd/
verb (transitive; may take a clause as object or an infinitive)
1.
to request peremptorily or urgently
2.
to require or need as just, urgent, etc: the situation demands attention
3.
to claim as a right; exact: his parents demanded obedience of him
4.
(law) to make a formal legal claim to (property, esp realty)
noun
5.
an urgent or peremptory requirement or request
6.
something that requires special effort or sacrifice: a demand on one's time
7.
the act of demanding something or the thing demanded: the kidnappers' demand was a million pounds
8.
an insistent question or query
9.
(economics)
  1. willingness and ability to purchase goods and services
  2. the amount of a commodity that consumers are willing and able to purchase at a specified price Compare supply1 (sense 9)
10.
(law) a formal legal claim, esp to real property
11.
in demand, sought after; popular
12.
on demand, as soon as requested: a draft payable on demand
Derived Forms
demandable, adjective
demander, noun
Word Origin
C13: from Anglo-French demaunder, from Medieval Latin dēmandāre, from Latin: to commit to, from de- + mandāre to command, entrust; see mandate
Word Origin and History for on demand

demand

v.

late 14c., "ask, make inquiry," from Old French demander (12c.) "to request; to demand," from Latin demandare "entrust, charge with a commission" (in Vulgar Latin, "to ask, request, demand"), from de- "completely" (see de-) + mandare "to order" (see mandate). Meaning "to ask for as a right" is early 15c., from Anglo-French legal use. Related: Demanded; demanding.

n.

late 13c., "a question," from Old French demande (see demand (v.)). Meaning "a request, claim" is from c.1300. In the political economy sense (correlating to supply) it is attested from 1776 in Adam Smith.

on demand in Culture

demand definition


The amount of any given commodity that people are ready and able to buy at a given time for a given price. (See supply and demand.)

Idioms and Phrases with on demand

on demand

When needed or asked for, as in She's always ready to sing on demand, or Nowadays infants are generally fed on demand. This usage is a broadening of this phrase's meaning in finance, that is, “payable on being requested or presented,” as in This note is payable on demand. [ Late 1600s ]

demand

see: