yearn

yearn
yearner, n.
/yerrn/, v.i.
1. to have an earnest or strong desire; long: to yearn for a quiet vacation.
2. to feel tenderness; be moved or attracted: They yearned over their delicate child.
[bef. 900; ME yernen, OE giernan deriv. of georn eager; akin to ON girna to desire, Gk chaírein to rejoice, Skt háryati (he) desires]
Syn. 1. YEARN, LONG, HANKER, PINE all mean to feel a powerful desire for something. YEARN stresses the depth and passionateness of a desire: to yearn to get away and begin a new life; to yearn desperately for recognition. LONG implies a wholehearted desire for something that is or seems unattainable: to long to relive one's childhood; to long for the warmth of summer. HANKER suggests a restless or incessant craving to fulfill some urge or desire: to hanker for a promotion; to hanker after fame and fortune. PINE adds the notion of physical or emotional suffering as a result of the real or apparent hopelessness of one's desire: to pine for one's native land; to pine for a lost love.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • yearn — yearn·er; yearn·ful; yearn·ing·ly; yearn; …   English syllables

  • Yearn — Yearn, v. i. [OE. yernen, [yogh]ernen, [yogh]eornen, AS. geornian, gyrnan, fr. georn desirous, eager; akin to OS. gern desirous, girnean, gernean, to desire, D. gaarne gladly, willingly, G. gern, OHG. gerno, adv., gern, a., G. gier greed, OHG.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Yearn — (y[ e]rn), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Yearned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Yearning}.] [Also earn, ern; probably a corruption of OE. ermen to grieve, AS. ierman, yrman, or geierman, geyrman, fr. earm wretched, poor; akin to D. & G. arm, Icel. armr, Goth. arms.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Yearn — Yearn, v. i. To be pained or distressed; to grieve; to mourn. [Obs.] Falstaff he is dead, and we must yearn therefore. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • yearn — [jə:n US jə:rn] v [: Old English; Origin: giernan] [i]literary to have a strong desire for something, especially something that is difficult or impossible to get = ↑long yearn for ▪ Hannah yearned for a child. yearn to be/do sth ▪ Phil had… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Yearn — Yearn, v. i. & t. [See {Yearnings}.] To curdle, as milk. [Scot.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • yearn — [ jɜrn ] verb transitive MAINLY LITERARY to want something a lot, especially something that you know you may not be able to have: He yearned for her love. They were yearning to have a baby …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • yearn — (v.) O.E. geornan (Mercian), giernan (W.Saxon), giorna (Northumbrian), from P.Gmc. *gernijanan (Cf. Goth. gairnjan to desire, Ger. begehren to desire ), from *gernaz (Cf. O.H.G. gern, O.N. gjarn desirous, O.E. georn …   Etymology dictionary

  • yearn — *long, pine, hanker, hunger, thirst Analogous words: crave, *desire, wish, want, covet: aspire, pant, *aim …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • yearn — [v] desire strongly ache, be desirous of, be eager for, be passionate, chafe, covet, crave, dream, hanker, have a crush on*, have a yen for, hunger, itch, languish, long, lust, pine, set one’s heart on*, thirst, want, wish for; concept 20 Ant.… …   New thesaurus

  • yearn — ► VERB ▪ have an intense feeling of loss and longing for something. DERIVATIVES yearner noun yearning noun. ORIGIN Old English, from a Germanic base meaning eager …   English terms dictionary

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