needs
UK /niːdz/ · US /nidz/ adverb, proper noun
Also a form of need
Forms Needses needes
- adverb (archaic) Either directly or indirectly preceded or followed by an auxiliary verb, often must: of necessity or need; necessarily, indispensably.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English nedes (“of necessity, necessarily; inevitably, unavoidably”) [and other forms], from Old English nēdes, nīedes (“of necessity; not willingly”), from nīed + -es (suffix forming adverbs from nouns).
The English word is equivalent to need + -'s (possessive marker) and hence to need + -s (suffix forming adverbs).
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Variant of Nead.
Webster’s 1913
- adverb Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; --often with must, and equivalent to of need.
Etymology [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “needs”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details