essere uopo

Literally, “to be need”

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛs.se.re ˈwɔ.po/
• Hyphenation: ès‧se‧re‧uò‧po

èssere uopo (first-person singular present sóno uopo, first-person singular past historic fùi uopo, past participle stàto uopo, first-person singular imperfect èro uopo, first-person singular future sarò uopo, first-person singular subjunctive sìa uopo, first-person singular imperfect subjunctive fóssi uopo, second-person singular imperative sìi uopo, auxiliary èssere)

1. (archaic, literary, intransitive) to be necessary, to be needed
   • 13^th c., Albertano da Brescia, Tre trattati d'Albertano giudice da Brescia‎, Florence, published 1610, page 160:

     Primamente errasti in aunar lo consiglio, imperocchè primamente dovevi aunare pochi ben savi, poi, se fosse uopo, molti.

     Your first error was gathering the council, because you were to gather a few sapients at first, then – if it was needed – more.

   • early 14^th century, Dante, “Canto XXVI”, in Purgatorio, lines 19–21:

     Né solo a me la tua risposta è uopo;
     ché tutti questi n'hanno maggior sete
     che d'acqua fredda Indo o Etïopo.

     Nor to me only is thine answer needful; for all of these have greater thirst for it than for cold water Ethiop or Indian.

   • 1581, Annibale Caro, transl., “Libro V [Book 5]”, in Eneide [Aeneid]‎, Florence: Leonardo Ciardetti, translation of Aeneis by Virgil, published 1827, page 247:

     […] poichè instrutta l’ebbe
     Di ciò ch’era uopo, a la troiana armata
     Le commise ch’andasse. […]

     After instructing her on what was needed she ordered her to go to the Trojan army

• all'uopo