yearn Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb desire strongly or persistently
    long; hanker.
  2. verb have a desire for something or someone who is not present
    ache; languish; pine; yen.
    • She ached for a cigarette
    • I am pining for my lover
  3. verb have affection for; feel tenderness for

WordNet

Yearn transitive verb
Etymology
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 y- in English is perhaps due to the AS. ge (see Y-).
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Yearned ; present participle & verbal noun Yearning
Definitions
  1. To pain; to grieve; to vex. Obs. "She laments, sir, for it, that it would yearn your heart to see it." Shak.
    It yearns me not if men my garments wear. Shak.
Yearn intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To be pained or distressed; to grieve; to mourn. Obs. "Falstaff he is dead, and we must yearn therefore." Shak.
Yearn intransitive verb & transitive verb
Etymology
See Yearnings.
Definitions
  1. To curdle, as milk. Scot.
Yearn intransitive verb
Etymology
OE. yernen, ernen, 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. giri greed, ger desirous, gern to desire, G. begehren, Icel. girna to desire, gjarn eager, Goth. faíhugaírns covetous, gaírnjan to desire, and perhaps to Gr. to rejoice, be glad, Skr. hary to desire, to like. .
Definitions
  1. To be filled with longing desire; to be harassed or rendered uneasy with longing, or feeling the want of a thing; to strain with emotions of affection or tenderness; to long; to be eager.
    Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother; and he sought where to weep. Gen. xliii. 30.
    Your mother's heart yearns towards you. Addison.

Webster 1913