Yearn

• POS: Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Yearn, v. t. [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.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
"It yearns me not if men my garments wear."  [1913 Webster]

Yearn, v. i. 

 To be pained or distressed; to grieve; to mourn.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

Yearn, v. i. & t. [See Yearnings.].

 To curdle, as milk.  [1913 Webster]

Yearn, v. i. [OE. yernen, , , 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. girī greed, ger desirous, ger to desire, G. begehren, Icel. girna to desire, gjarn eager, Goth. faíhugaírns covetous, gaírnjan to desire, and perhaps to Gr. chai`rein to rejoice, be glad, Skr. hary to desire, to like.

 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."  [1913 Webster]
"Your mother's heart yearns towards you."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Yearn, v.intr.
1 (usu. foll. by for, after, or to + infin.) have a strong emotional longing.
2 (usu. foll. by to, towards) be filled with compassion or tenderness.

Derivative

yearner n. yearning n. & adj. yearningly adv.

Etymology

OE giernan f. a Gmc root meaning 'eager'

THESAURUS

Yearn

ache, covet, crave, desire, dream, fancy, hanker, hunger, itch, long, lust, pant, pine, prefer, thirst, want, wish, yen

ROGET THESAURUS

Yearn

Pain

VB feel pain, suffer pain, experience pain, undergo pain, bear pain, endure pain, smart, ache, suffer, bleed, ail, be the victim of, labor under afflictions, bear the cross, quaff the bitter cup, have a bad time of it, fall on evil days, go hard with, come to grief, fall a sacrifice to, drain the cup of misery to the dregs, sup full of horrors, sit on thorns, be on pins and needles, wince, fret, chafe, worry oneself, be in a taking, fret and fume, take on, take to heart, cark, grieve, mourn, yearn, repine, pine, droop, languish, sink, give way, despair, break one's heart, weigh upon the heart.

Dejection

VB be dejected, grieve, mourn, take on, give way, lose heart, despond, droop, sink, lower, look downcast, frown, pout, hang down the head, pull a long face, make a long face, laugh on the wrong side of the mouth, grin a ghastly smile, look blue, look like a drowned man, lay to heart, take to heart, mope, brood over, fret, sulk, pine, pine away, yearn, repine, despair, refrain from laughter, keep one's countenance, be grave, look grave, repress a smile, depress, discourage, dishearten, dispirit, damp, dull, deject, lower, sink, dash, knock down, unman, prostrate, break one's heart, frown upon, cast a gloom, cast a shade on, sadden, damp one's hopes, dash one's hopes, wither one's hopes, weigh on the mind, lie heavy on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, lie heavy on the spirits, prey on the spirits, damp the spirits, depress the spirits.

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