Yearn

Use this forum to discuss past Good Words.
User avatar
Dr. Goodword
Site Admin
Posts: 7417
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Contact:

Yearn

Postby Dr. Goodword » Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:57 pm

• yearn •


Pronunciation: yêrn • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb

Meaning: 1. To have a strong, wistful longing, crave. 2. To be deeply moved, to sympathize, to grieve. 3. (Milk) To curdle or coagulate or cause to coagulate, especially in the production of cheese.

Notes: Today's Good Word is an indigenous English word, so it is subject only to English derivation. Someone who yearns in either of the first two senses is a yearner, who is yearnful. The action noun and (another) adjective is the present participle yearning. The difference between the two adjectives is that yearnful may mean "as though yearning", while yearning implies we actually yearn.

In Play: This verb is most popularly used intransitively with the preposition for: "Luke yearned for his wife's return for years after she left him." However, it may be used with verbs, introduced by to: "His long speeches made his audiences yearn to go home." The second sense of this word is less often used but is still available: "He yearned over his friend Gretchen after her mother's death."

Word History: In Old English today's word was giernan, from Old Germanic gernjan "to desire", source also of German begehren "to desire" and gern "gladly, willingly". Gernjan was built on PIE gher-/ghor- "to long for, covet, yearn", source also, with the benefit of metathesis, of greedy and Greek chre "it is necessary". Greek charenai "to be glad, happy" originates in the same word, as does Icelandic gjarn "willing". (Patricia Waddy, a translator who is a newcomer to our series, saw the intrigue in today's Good Word and brought it to our attention.)
• The Good Dr. Goodword

User avatar
Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 8040
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Finger Lakes, NY

Re: Yearn

Postby Slava » Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:33 am

To use all three meanings, albeit metaphorically, we could say, 'the pandemic has left most of us yearning.' At least I feel that I'm coagulating, congealing, and turning into a solid lump. :evil:

I'd like to know more about the cheesy definition. :?:
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

User avatar
Dr. Goodword
Site Admin
Posts: 7417
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Contact:

Re: Yearn

Postby Dr. Goodword » Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:12 pm

Not being a cheese-maker, I was as surprised as you at the third definition and cannot supply anything beyond what I found in the dictionaries.
• The Good Dr. Goodword

Philip Hudson
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2784
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:41 am
Location: Texas

Re: Yearn

Postby Philip Hudson » Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:32 pm

Expatriate Texans all yearn for the day they can return.
See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzcMUQ3ay9E
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.

David Myer
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1140
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 3:21 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Yearn

Postby David Myer » Thu Apr 22, 2021 8:58 am

While reading this one, I idly wondered whether 'yen' might be related to yearn. So I looked it up. It appears not! Yen in the sense of yearn comes from the Chinese word for a craving for opium. Although... But it is difficult to see that the Chinese might have come from the same PIE root. Have I missed something?

User avatar
Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 8040
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Finger Lakes, NY

Re: Yearn

Postby Slava » Thu Apr 22, 2021 9:18 am

Hmm, "my yin has a yen for yuan and yen?" Could there be a relation between and among all of these? Greed, money, desire all do go together.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


Return to “Good Word Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 43 guests