Needs
/niːdz/noun
Third-person singular present of need, or the plural noun meaning requirements or necessities.
Did you know?English need descends from a Proto-Germanic root meaning “necessary” or “compelled,” so the word has always carried the energy of obligation, not just desire.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁ned-
“To be necessary or to be in need (reconstructed root, uncertain details).”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*nauþiz / *naudiz
“Need, compulsion, necessity.”
Old English
OE
nēod
“Need, necessity, hardship, urgent requirement.”
Middle English
ME
nede
“Need, necessity; also “by necessity” or “of necessity.””
Modern English
English
need
“A requirement, necessity, or lack of something essential.”