Definition of YEARNING

yearning

Plural: yearnings

Noun

  • A strong and deep desire or longing.
  • prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
  • A wistful or melancholy longing.
  • rennet (an enzyme to curdle milk in order to make cheese).

Verb

  • desire strongly or persistently
  • have a desire for something or someone who is not present
  • have affection for; feel tenderness for
  • present participle and gerund of yearn

Examples

  • His YEARNING for a high score was evident in every tile he meticulously placed.
  • She had a yearning to see her long-lost sister again.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English yerning, from Old English ġierning, ġierninge. Equivalent to the gerund (yearn + -ing). yearn comes from Proto-West Germanic *girnijan, from Proto-Germanic *girnijaną, from *gernaz (“eager, willing”) + *-janą, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to yearn for”). By surface analysis, yearn + ing.

Scrabble Score: 12

yearning: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
yearning: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
yearning: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

yearning: valid Words With Friends Word