yearn
/jɝn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.97 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To have a strong desire for something or to do something; to long for or to do something.
Intransitive verb
verb
To have a strong desire for something or to do something; to long for or to do something.
Intransitive verb
verb
To have strong feelings of affection, love, sympathy, etc., toward someone.
Dated; Intransitive verb
verb
Often followed by out: to perform (music) which conveys or say (words) which express strong desire or longing.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "All I yearn for is a simple life."
- "I muſt do that my heart-ſtrings yern to do: but my word's paſt."
- "You are now before my eyes, my eyes that are ready to flow with tenderness, but cannot give relief to my gushing heart, that dictates what I am now saying, and yearns to tell you all its achings."
- "By morning's cheerful glow, but oftener still by evening's gentle light, the child, with a respect for the short and happy intercourse of these two sisters which forbade her to approach and say a thankful word, although she yearned to do so, followed them at a distance in their walks and rambles, […]"
- "What his soul yearned after was control of his father's newly purchased sailing-ship."
- "And Jim supported his twitching body by holding on to the sink, the while he yearned toward the yellowish concoction that stood for life."
Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle English yernen, yern (“to express or feel desire; to desire, long or wish for; to lust after; to ask or demand for”) [and other forms], from Old English ġeornan (“to desire, yearn; to beg”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *girnijan (“to be eager for, desire”), from Proto-Germanic *girnijaną (“to desire, want”), from *gernaz (“eager, willing”) (from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to yearn for”)) + *-janą (suffix forming factitive verbs from adjectives). The noun is derived from the verb.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *gʰer-, yernen, ġeornan, *girnijan, *girnijaną, *h₃er-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /jɝn/
- British English: /jɜːn/
Usage
Inflected Forms
yearns (present, singular)
yearning (participle, present)
yearned (participle, past)
yearned (past)
yearnt (participle, past)
yearnt (past, rare)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
yearned (first person, past)
yearnt (first person, past)
yearnest (archaic, present)
yearned (past, second person)