yen

1 of 3

noun (1)

plural yen
the basic monetary unit of Japan see Money Table

yen

2 of 3

noun (2)

: a strong desire or propensity
a yen for the sea
also : urge, craving
a yen for ice cream

yen

3 of 3

verb

yenned; yenning

intransitive verb

: to have an intense desire : long

Did you know?

Although yen suggests no more than a strong desire these days (as in "a yen for a beach vacation"), at one time someone with a yen was in deep trouble: the first meaning of yen was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from Cantonese yīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning "opium," and yáhn, "craving." In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen.

Examples of yen in a Sentence

Noun (2) I have a strange yen to take the day off from work Verb what car lover doesn't yen for a new car at the start of every model year
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Over the last several months, American visitors have flocked to Japan to take advantage of a historically weak yen, lowering the price of hotels, restaurants, theme parks, and bullet train tickets. Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 3 July 2024 The nation is experiencing a tourism boom due to the weak yen and post-pandemic urge to travel and locals have been complaining that visitors are causing disruption at popular Mt. Fuji viewing sites. Sarah Hilton, Bloomberg.com, 12 June 2024 Japan’s companies are starting to worry about the consequences of a persistently weak yen. Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 16 May 2024 How Japan’s newest yen note came from the Nepali mountains Banks across Japan began stocking their ATMs on Wednesday with shiny new yen notes sourced from an unlikely location — vibrant yellow flowering paperbush shrubs that grow on craggy Himalayan mountains in Nepal. Krystal Hur, CNN, 5 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for yen 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yen.' 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 (1)

Japanese en

Noun (2)

obsolete English argot yen-yen craving for opium, from Chin (Guangdong) yīn-yáhn, from yīn opium + yáhn craving

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1875, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1906, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of yen was in 1875

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near yen

Cite this Entry

“Yen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yen. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

yen

1 of 2 noun
plural yen
1
: the basic unit of money of Japan
2
: a coin worth one yen

yen

2 of 2 noun
: an intense desire : longing

More from Merriam-Webster on yen

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!