Where Does Exigence Come from?

The term exigence comes from the Latin word for "demand." It was popularized in rhetorical studies by Lloyd Bitzer in "The Rhetorical Situation" ("Philosophy and Rhetoric," 1968).

Where does the word Exigence come from?

Exigence (the word was made up by a rhetorician named Lloyd Bitzer in 1968) comes from the Latin for “demand.” It basically has to do with what the situation requires. An exigence is something that can be fixed through rhetoric.

What is the Exigence in rhetoric?

Exigence: the event or occurrence that prompts rhetorical discourse; the exigence is that which begins the “cycle” of rhetorical discourse about a particular issue.