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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
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 26 June 2025
Around 26 cm in height and featuring a lot of die-cast, the price tag is only 33,000 yen (before tax).
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Doris & Jacky Leather Zipper Coin Purse Paper currency is certainly a thing in Japan, but yen coins have way more purchasing power than United States coins.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2025
Many of them see nothing unusual or profound in their yen to hide under the sea.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for yen
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Noun
Data from Japan’s agriculture ministry showed that the average price of a 5-kg bag of rice had fallen to 3,920 yen ($27.03) for the week ending June 15.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 26 June 2025
Around 26 cm in height and featuring a lot of die-cast, the price tag is only 33,000 yen (before tax).
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Doris & Jacky Leather Zipper Coin Purse Paper currency is certainly a thing in Japan, but yen coins have way more purchasing power than United States coins.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2025
Many of them see nothing unusual or profound in their yen to hide under the sea.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for yen
Cite this Entry
“Yen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yen. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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