Word of the Day
: December 28, 2025yen
playWhat It Means
A yen is a strong desire, urge, or craving for something.
// After dinner, the family went out for ice cream to satisfy their yen for something sweet.
// Students with a yen to travel should consider studying abroad.
yen in Context
“If you’ve got a yen for succulent, right-off-the-boat Maine sea scallops, now is the time to get them.” — Stephen Rappaport, The Bangor Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025
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, used in the late 19th century, was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from yīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning “opium,” and yáhn, “craving,” in the Chinese language used in the province of Guangdong. In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen, and eventually shortened to yen.
Test Your Vocabulary with M-W Quizzes
Quiz
Fill in the blanks to complete a word meaning “a tender or urgent longing”: y _ _ r _ _ n _.
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