yearn
Part of speech: verb
noun
Morphological type: simple
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.
Inflected forms:
form: yearns
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: yearning
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: yearned
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: yearned
pos: verb
tags: past
form: yearnt
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
rare
form: yearnt
pos: verb
tags: past
rare
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: yearn
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: yearn
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: yearned
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: yearnt
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
rare
singular
form: yearn
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: yearnest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: yearned
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: yearnt
pos: verb
tags: past
rare
second-person
singular
form: yearnedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: yearns
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: yearneth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: yearned
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: yearnt
pos: verb
tags: past
rare
singular
third-person
form: yearn
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: yearned
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: yearnt
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
rare
form: yearn
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: yearned
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: yearnt
pos: verb
tags: past
rare
subjunctive
form: yearn
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: yearning
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: yearned
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: yearnt
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
rare
form: yearns
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: To have a strong desire for something or to do something; to long for or to do something.
pos: verb
tags: also
figuratively
intransitive
examples: 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.
But all that night his body yearned for Alec's, despite him. He called it lustful, a word easily uttered, and opposed it to his work, his family, his friends, his position in society. […] But his body would not be convinced.
Anne, please tell me over again that you like me a little bit. I yearn to hear it.
gloss: To have a strong desire for something or to do something; to long for or to do something.
pos: verb
tags: also
figuratively
intransitive
specifically
examples: If I don’t go now, thought Charlotte, I shall have lost a chance which I shall eternally regret and yearn after.
Having shaken the dust of the ugly new South Africa from his feet, is he yearning for the South Africa of the old days, when Eden was still possible?
gloss: Of music, words, etc.: to express strong desire or longing.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: The music, yearning like a God in pain, / She scarcely heard: […]
gloss: To have strong feelings of affection, love, sympathy, etc., toward someone.
pos: verb
tags: dated
intransitive
examples: And Joſeph made haſte: for his bowels did yerne upon his brother: and he ſought where to weepe, and hee entred into his chamber, & wept there.
I have left your mother in the next room. Her heart yearns towards you.
Oh, it was a pretty sight to see this modest young creature, little more than a child herself, anticipating maternity, but blushing every now and then, and looking askant at her lord and master. How his very bowels yearned over her!
[…] Mr. Ratcliffe’s heart yearned toward the charming girl quite with the sensations of a father, or even of an elder brother.
But supper had cheered Tant' Sannie, who found it impossible longer to maintain that decorous silence, and whose heart yearned over the youth.
gloss: To be distressed or pained; to grieve; to mourn.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
examples: My father’s and my uncle Toby’s hearts yearn’d with ſympathy for the poor fellow’s diſtreſs,—[…]
gloss: Often followed by out: to perform (music) which conveys or say (words) which express strong desire or longing.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To have a strong desire or longing (for something or to do something).
pos: verb
tags: archaic
poetic
transitive
gloss: To cause (someone) to have strong feelings of affection, love, sympathy, etc.; also, to grieve or pain (someone).
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: Well, ſhe laments Sir for it, that it would yern your heart to see it: […]
It yernes me not, if men my Garments weare; / Nor care I who doth feed vpon my coſt: / Such outward things dwell not in my deſires. / But if it be a ſinne to couet Honor, / I am the moſt offending Soule aliue.
When the badger finds that the terriers yearn him in his burrow, he will stop the hole between him and the terriers; […]
Wants to sneeze and cannot do it! / Now it yearns me, thrills me, stings me, / Now with rapturous torment wrings me, / Now says “Sneeze, you fool; get through it.”
gloss: A strong desire or longing; a yearning, a yen.
pos: noun
examples: Gibbs now said he wasn't going to pull any punches with Gary when he knew how jealous a man could get, so he also wanted to tell him that Phil Hansen was reputed to have a yearn for attractive ladies.
"After he had made a record date with us in 1935, I always had a yearn for Ben," he said years later.
"My guess, however, is that it has because there are many people who have a yearn for sex outside their relationship but wouldn't have the slightest idea about how to do it or do it safely," Prof Schwartz added.
Derived words: yearner
yearnful
yearning
yearnly
yearnsome
yearny
Translations:
lang: Arabic
word: تَاقَ
roman: tāqa
lang: Arabic
word: اِشْتَاقَ
roman: ištāqa
lang: Belarusian
word: нудзі́цца
roman: nudzícca
lang: Belarusian
word: сумава́ць
roman: sumavácʹ
lang: Belarusian
word: тужы́ць
roman: tužýcʹ
lang: Bulgarian
word: копне́я
roman: kopnéja
lang: Catalan
word: anhelar
lang: Catalan
word: ansiejar
lang: Cebuano
word: hidlaw
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 想念
roman: xiǎngniàn
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 思念
roman: sīniàn
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 盼念
roman: pànniàn
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 向往
roman: xiàngwǎng
lang: Czech
word: toužit
lang: Czech
word: prahnout
lang: Czech
word: bažit
lang: Danish
word: længte til
lang: Danish
word: længte efter
lang: Dutch
word: smachten
lang: Dutch
word: zuchten
lang: Dutch
word: verlangen (naar)
lang: Esperanto
word: sopiri
lang: Finnish
word: kaivata
lang: Finnish
word: haikailla
lang: French
word: languir
lang: Galician
word: devecer
lang: Galician
word: degorar
lang: Galician
word: halar
lang: Galician
word: arelar
lang: Galician
word: eslumecer
lang: Galician
word: aguciar
lang: Georgian
word: ლტოლვა
roman: lṭolva
lang: Georgian
word: სწრაფვა
roman: sc̣rapva
lang: Georgian
word: მისწრაფება
roman: misc̣rapeba
lang: German
word: sich sehnen
lang: German
word: verlangen
lang: German
word: vermissen
lang: Greek
word: επιθυμώ
roman: epithymó
lang: Greek
word: λαχταρώ
roman: lachtaró
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ὁμείρομαι
roman: homeíromai
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ποθέω
roman: pothéō
lang: Hebrew
word: השתוקק
roman: hishtokék
lang: Hebrew
word: כמה
roman: kamáh
lang: Hungarian
word: sóvárog
lang: Hungarian
word: vágyódik
lang: Italian
word: bramare
lang: Japanese
word: 憧れる
roman: akogareru
lang: Japanese
word: 恋い慕う
roman: koishitau
lang: Japanese
word: 切望する
roman: setsubō suru
lang: Korean
word: 동경하다
roman: donggyeonghada
lang: Korean
word: 그리워하다
roman: geuriwohada
lang: Latin
word: dēsīderō
lang: Māori
word: kohekohe
lang: Occitan
word: cobejar
lang: Occitan
word: desirar
lang: Portuguese
word: ansiar
lang: Romanian
word: dori
lang: Romanian
word: jindui
lang: Romanian
word: tânji
lang: Russian
word: скуча́ть
roman: skučátʹ
lang: Russian
word: тоскова́ть
roman: toskovátʹ
lang: Russian
word: жа́ждать
roman: žáždatʹ
lang: Russian
word: стреми́ться
roman: stremítʹsja
lang: Russian
word: тужи́ть
roman: tužítʹ
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: че̏знути
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: жу́дјети
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: жу́дети
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: čȅznuti
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: žúdjeti
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: žúdeti
lang: Spanish
word: anhelar
lang: Spanish
word: ansiar
lang: Spanish
word: añorar
lang: Spanish
word: desperecerse
lang: Spanish
word: acezar
lang: Swedish
word: längta till
lang: Swedish
word: längta tillbaka till
lang: Swedish
word: längta efter
lang: Turkish
word: özlemek
lang: Turkish
word: hislenmek
lang: Ukrainian
word: тужи́ти
roman: tužýty
lang: Ukrainian
word: скуча́ти
roman: skučáty
lang: Ukrainian
word: нудьгува́ти
roman: nudʹhuváty
lang: Ukrainian
word: нуди́тися
roman: nudýtysja
lang: Welsh
word: dyheu
lang: Yiddish
word: בענקען
roman: benken
lang: Bulgarian
word: жадувам
roman: žaduvam