From Old English 'neodian' (to compel), from Proto-Germanic *nautiz — so tied to hardship it became a rune for constraint.
To require something because it is essential or very important rather than merely desirable.
From Old English 'nēodian' and 'nēadian' meaning 'to compel, to force, to urge,' derived from the noun 'nēad' or 'nīed' (necessity, compulsion, distress, difficulty), from Proto-Germanic *nautiz (need, distress, constraint), from PIE root *neh₂u- (death, to be exhausted, distress). The original meaning was far more extreme than modern English suggests — 'need' carried connotations of violent compulsion and mortal distress, not mere requirement. The Proto-Germanic noun *nautiz was also the name of the rune
The Proto-Germanic word *nautiz was the name of the rune ᚾ (Nauthiz) in the Elder Futhark, representing necessity, hardship, and constraint. In runic divination, drawing this rune signified unavoidable difficulty. So when you say 'I need coffee,' you are, etymologically, invoking an ancient symbol of existential distress and inescapable fate.