compulsory

 
Pronunciation: /kəmˈpʌls(ə)ri/

adjective

  • required by law or a rule; obligatory: compulsory military service it was compulsory to attend mass
  • involving or exercising compulsion; coercive: the abuse of compulsory powers

Derivatives

compulsorily

adverb

compulsoriness

noun

Origin:

early 16th century (as a noun denoting a legal mandate which had to be obeyed): from medieval Latin compulsorius, from compuls- 'driven, forced', from the verb compellere (see compel)

Spelling help

The ending of compulsory is spelled -ory.