yern
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Middle English yern (“willing, eager”), from Old English ġeorn (“eager”), from Proto-West Germanic *gern, from Proto-Germanic *gernaz.
Cognate with Danish gerne (“gladly”), Dutch gaarne (“with pleasure, gladly”), German gern (“willingly, gladly”), Icelandic gjarn (“willing, keen, eager”), Icelandic gjarna (“willingly, readily, gladdly”), Swedish gärna (“willingly, gladly”). See also yearnful and yearnfully.
Pronunciation
editAdverb
edityern
- (obsolete) eagerly, heartily, gladly, willingly, earnestly.
- I am not afraid of death, and when my time comes I'll go yern.
- 1865, Frederick James Furnivall, A Royal Historie of the Excellent Knight Generides:
- Who was so hardie and so stern? Tel me now, I pray you yern
- c. 1515, unknown, The Buke of the Sevyne Sagis:
- All the people cried yernː God Master, now defend thy bairn.
- 1513, Gavin Douglas, The Eneados:
- The black swarm ower the fields walks yerne
Usage notes
editFor the adverb, the form yearnly can also be found, but is much rarer.
References
edit- “yern”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- The Dictionary of Early English
- A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 4th ed. 1960 (originally 1894)
- The Middle English Dictionary
- The Dictionary of the Scots Language
Verb
edityern (third-person singular simple present yerns, present participle yerning, simple past and past participle yerned)
Anagrams
editCategories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
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- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
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- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English 1-syllable words
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- Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)n
- Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)n/1 syllable
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- English adverbs
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- English verbs
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