Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A persistent, often melancholy desire; a longing.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The feeling of one who yearns; a strong feeling of tenderness, pity, or longing desire.
  • noun Rennet.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A wistful or melancholy longing.
  • noun archaic rennet
  • verb Present participle of yearn.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun prolonged unfulfilled desire or need

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Zuckerberg seems fueled by an innate fire to maximize what math, technology and psychology can propel Facebook to, but his more conscious yearning is for something outside the domain of what Facebook could bring him - the company of a girl with whom he feels comfortable being himself.

    Elizabeth Nicholas: There Goes Your Social Life Elizabeth Nicholas 2010

  • Zuckerberg seems fueled by an innate fire to maximize what math, technology and psychology can propel Facebook to, but his more conscious yearning is for something outside the domain of what Facebook could bring him - the company of a girl with whom he feels comfortable being himself.

    Elizabeth Nicholas: There Goes Your Social Life Elizabeth Nicholas 2010

  • The wrong done him by the TRANSCONTINENTAL loomed colossal, for strong upon him were all the dreary months of vain yearning, of hunger and privation, and his present hunger awoke and gnawed at him, reminding him that he had eaten nothing since the day before, and little enough then.

    Chapter 33 2010

  • And all the while the dog sat and watched him, a certain yearning wistfulness in its eyes, for it looked upon him as the fire-provider, and the fire was slow in coming.

    To Build A Fire 2010

  • And all the while the dog sat and watched him, a certain yearning wistfulness in its eyes, for it looked upon him as the fire-provider, and the fire was slow in coming.

    To Build a Fire 2010

  • Zuckerberg seems fueled by an innate fire to maximize what math, technology and psychology can propel Facebook to, but his more conscious yearning is for something outside the domain of what Facebook could bring him - the company of a girl with whom he feels comfortable being himself.

    Elizabeth Nicholas: There Goes Your Social Life Elizabeth Nicholas 2010

  • And all the while the dog sat and watched him, a certain yearning wistfulness in its eyes, for it looked upon him as the fire-provider, and the fire was slow in coming.

    To Build A Fire 2010

  • She acts immature, lies and does not represent the change thne next generation in yearning for ...

    Preston: Top Clinton supporters ready to help Obama 2008

  • The preparations lasted ten days, after which he set out with the Sultan, whose heart burned in yearning for his city whence he had been absent a whole twelvemonth.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • Of course, my immediate yearning is to eat some eggplant.

    11/12/2005 2005

Comments

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  • YEarNing

    May 10, 2008

  • From the Century Dictionary:

    "1. The feeling of one who yearns; a strong feeling of tenderness, pity, or longing desire.

    2. Rennet."

    November 17, 2010

  • That second definition kind of knocks the hell out of the first one, doesn't it?

    November 21, 2010

  • Why do you hate rennet?

    November 21, 2010

  • Well, it's not freedom, that's why.

    November 21, 2010