yearn
v 1: desire strongly or persistently [syn: hanker, long,
yearn]
2: have a desire for something or someone who is not present;
"She ached for a cigarette"; "I am pining for my lover" [syn:
ache, yearn, yen, pine, languish]
3: have affection for; feel tenderness for
|
Yearn \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 y- in English is perhaps due to the AS. ge
(see Y-).]
To pain; to grieve; to vex. [Obs.] "She laments, sir, for it,
that it would yearn your heart to see it." --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
It yearns me not if men my garments wear. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
|
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. gir[imac] greed, ger desirous, ger[=o]n to
desire, G. begehren, Icel. girna to desire, gjarn eager,
Goth. fa['i]huga['i]rns covetous, ga['i]rnjan to desire, and
perhaps to Gr. chai`rein to rejoice, be glad, Skr. hary to
desire, to like. [root]33.]
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.
[1913 Webster]
Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his
brother; and he sought where to weep. --Gen. xliii.
30.
[1913 Webster]
Your mother's heart yearns towards you. --Addison.
[1913 Webster]
|