Meaning

noun a mood that expresses an intention to influence the listener's behavior

noun some duty that is essential and urgent

adjective requiring attention or action

originEtymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *perh₃-der. Latin parō Latin imperō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin īvus Latin imperātīvusbor. English imperative Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0