Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Need or want?

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Need or want?Need: noun - necessity for a person or thing; a condition or time ofdifficulty, distress, or trouble, lacking or requiring some necessary thing;exigency, emergency, crisis; destitution, lack of the means of subsistence orof necessaries, poverty; requiring or being motivated to do, a necessity to do;something requiring action; a particular point or respect in which some necessityor want is present or is felt; a piece of necessary business; something wanted,a requirement.
Want: noun - lacking something desirable or necessary; deficiency orshortage; lacking the necessities of life; penury; poverty, famine, starvation;hardship or suffering; a condition marked by the lack of some necessity; need; somethingneeded or desired; a requirement, a request; a defect, fault or shortcoming.
When I decided to comparethese two words, in common with many older folk, I assumed their dictionarydefinitions would support my preconceptions. However, the good old SOED haseducated me once again. On the face of it, the two words can be interchanged moreor less unconditionally.BUT, when it comes to thatoft heard phrase, 'I need…' usually uttered by an offspring, there is adistinction that should be made, I think.
Children of all ages, andI include those adults who refuse to mature, often state that they need somethingwhen they simply desire it. Usage suggests that, in most cases, they 'want'what they call a 'need'. I think I can best express this by explaining that inthis particular case, 'want' indicates desire and 'need' indicates necessity.So:'I need a new dress,skirt, etc.' should properly be expressed as 'I want a new…' since the item inquestion is not a necessity but something desired.
'I need a text book, setof pens, breakfast, etc.' is fine, as these are necessities for either life orschooling.
The dividing line is fineand, probably, subjective, but I think all parents will know where it should bedrawn.
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