pine

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
: any of a genus (Pinus of the family Pinaceae, the pine family) of coniferous evergreen trees that have slender elongated needles and include some valuable timber trees and ornamentals
2
: the straight-grained white or yellow usually durable and resinous wood of a pine varying from extreme softness in the white pine to hardness in the longleaf pine
3
: any of various Australian coniferous trees (as of the genera Callitris or Araucaria)
4
5
piney adjective
or less commonly piny

pine

2 of 2

verb

pined; pining

intransitive verb

1
: to lose vigor, health, or flesh (as through grief) : languish
2
: to yearn intensely and persistently especially for something unattainable
they still pined for their lost wealth
Choose the Right Synonym for pine

long, yearn, hanker, pine, hunger, thirst mean to have a strong desire for something.

long implies a wishing with one's whole heart and often a striving to attain.

longed for some rest

yearn suggests an eager, restless, or painful longing.

yearned for a stage career

hanker suggests the uneasy promptings of unsatisfied appetite or desire.

always hankering for money

pine implies a languishing or a fruitless longing for what is impossible.

pined for a lost love

hunger and thirst imply an insistent or impatient craving or a compelling need.

hungered for a business of his own
thirsted for power

Examples of pine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Despite the land’s ethereal beauty, the National Park Service was not initially interested in Death Valley, Miller said, because desert preserves didn’t fit the archetypical idea of a national park, with towering pines and grand mountain vistas. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 Unlike most of the old-growth pines, it was not chopped for lumber after its resin was tapped. Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 Floodwaters from the Congaree and Wateree rivers regularly cover the park’s old-growth bottomland hardwood forest, and the upland pine forest depends on wildfires to clear out competing vegetation. Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 At the top of the highest of those hills, a covered pavilion—some 20 feet tall and 40 feet long—is made of interwoven and twisted Scots pine. Ann Abel, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 Until recently, much of the border between Russia and those countries was rolling fields and open pine forest, with little to impede crossings. Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 The Dixie Fire itself was caused when Pacific Gas and Electric Company power lines came in contact with a nearby pine tree, igniting the blaze, according to Cal Fire. Damon Arthur, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2024 See me over there by the couple drowning in each other on the bench under the pine tree? Jim Moore, The New York Review of Books, 1 Feb. 2024 Today, after years of drought have killed off many firs, the pines are making a comeback. Reed Parsell, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024
Verb
And fans are either pining to go back to the good old days of amateurism (not going to happen) or rooting for the world to burn so that their favorite school can buy the next star quarterback. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024 And pining wistfully for that special girl waiting at home. Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2024 But instead of pining over what could've been, Derulo got to work. Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 23 June 2023 As the human workers pine for home, the humanoid workers increasingly pine to be more than what they’ve been programmed to be. Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2022 After years of pining, Iaconetti eventually got the guy: the two wed in 2019 and share a son. Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 27 June 2023 Cariuma sneakers frequently rack up long waitlists, most recently ringing in at 77,000 customers who were pining to get their hands on the Oca Low style, according to the brand. Claire Harmeyer, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2023 Russia is pining to build on its budding relationship with American conservatives—literally. Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 12 May 2023 Chainsaws and demons, enormously fat dragons, lovelorn video game bosses pining over princesses. Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English pīn, from Latin pinus; probably akin to Greek pitys pine

Verb

Middle English, from Old English pīnian to suffer, from *pīn punishment, from Latin poena — more at pain entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pine was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near pine

Cite this Entry

“Pine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pine. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pine

1 of 2 verb
pined; pining
1
: to lose energy, health, or weight through grief, worry, or distress
pine away
2
: to long for very much

pine

2 of 2 noun
1
: any of a genus of evergreen trees that have narrow needles for leaves, cones, and wood ranging from very soft to hard and that include valuable timber trees as well as many ornamentals
2
: the white or yellow wood of a pine
piney adjective
also piny
ˈpī-nē

Medical Definition

pine

1 of 2 noun
: any tree of the genus Pinus

pine

2 of 2 noun
: a dietary deficiency disease of sheep or cattle marked by anemia, malnutrition, and general debility
specifically : such a disease due to cobalt deficiency compare morton mains disease

More from Merriam-Webster on pine

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