It is incumbent on us
It is our responsibility
TRANSLATION
It is incumbent on us = Wir sind verpflichtet, Es obliegt uns GOOGLE INDEX It is incumbent on us: approximately 50,000 hits incumbent: approximately 10,000,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
IT IS INCUMBENT ON US to convince the public that what we deliver is to the benefit of the UK and to everyone in the UK who pays for the BBC. That means we have to constantly look at what we are producing, what we are broadcasting and ask, is it still relevant to today's world?
(The London Independent)
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IT IS INCUMBENT ON US to provide treatment and information to help individuals improve their health.
(The American Journal of Family Medicine)
(The London Independent)
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IT IS INCUMBENT ON US to provide treatment and information to help individuals improve their health.
(The American Journal of Family Medicine)
Did you
know?
incumbent
adjective
- imposed as an obligation or duty; obligatory (He felt it was incumbent on all of us to help.)
- lying, leaning, or resting on something else (incumbent rock strata)
- currently holding a specified office (the incumbent mayor)
noun
- a person who holds an office or an official position in a church (The incumbent was re-elected to another term.)
(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
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WORD ORIGIN
The noun incumbent (circa 1400) stems from the Middle Latin incumbens, "the holder of a church position," from the present participle of incumbere, meaning "to obtain or possess," and from the Latin incumbere, "recline on, apply oneself to" (in = on + -combere = lie down). The word was expanded to refer to holders of any office beginning in 1672. It was first recorded as an adjective in 1567, in relation to duties or obligations.
The phrase "It is incumbent on us" is used as a formal way to state that a group, organization or company feels they have a serious obligation to do something or should take responsibility for ensuring that something is done. It is rarely used in ordinary conversation. If you are hanging out with friends and colleagues in a pub and say, "It is incumbent on us to stop drinking and go home," you will be honoured with either blank stares or lots of laughing.
Instead, this phrase is generally applied in official documents and statements or speeches. Some writers, like William Safire, American journalist and former speechwriter for U.S. presidents, are of the opinion that this expression is outdated. Safire, who collected humorous English grammar rules, once asked readers to submit funny rules that they may have seen written or posted. Included in the collection were rules such as:
- Don't use no double negatives
- Avoid commas, that are not necessary
- And don't start a sentence with a conjunction
- It is incumbent on us to avoid archaisms
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SYNONYMOUS PHRASES
We have the responsibility to… We are obligated to…
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"It is incumbent on us to develop products that are safe for the environment."
adjective
- imposed as an obligation or duty; obligatory (He felt it was incumbent on all of us to help.)
- lying, leaning, or resting on something else (incumbent rock strata)
- currently holding a specified office (the incumbent mayor)
noun
- a person who holds an office or an official position in a church (The incumbent was re-elected to another term.)
(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
---
WORD ORIGIN
The noun incumbent (circa 1400) stems from the Middle Latin incumbens, "the holder of a church position," from the present participle of incumbere, meaning "to obtain or possess," and from the Latin incumbere, "recline on, apply oneself to" (in = on + -combere = lie down). The word was expanded to refer to holders of any office beginning in 1672. It was first recorded as an adjective in 1567, in relation to duties or obligations.
The phrase "It is incumbent on us" is used as a formal way to state that a group, organization or company feels they have a serious obligation to do something or should take responsibility for ensuring that something is done. It is rarely used in ordinary conversation. If you are hanging out with friends and colleagues in a pub and say, "It is incumbent on us to stop drinking and go home," you will be honoured with either blank stares or lots of laughing.
Instead, this phrase is generally applied in official documents and statements or speeches. Some writers, like William Safire, American journalist and former speechwriter for U.S. presidents, are of the opinion that this expression is outdated. Safire, who collected humorous English grammar rules, once asked readers to submit funny rules that they may have seen written or posted. Included in the collection were rules such as:
- Don't use no double negatives
- Avoid commas, that are not necessary
- And don't start a sentence with a conjunction
- It is incumbent on us to avoid archaisms
---
SYNONYMOUS PHRASES
We have the responsibility to… We are obligated to…
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"It is incumbent on us to develop products that are safe for the environment."
