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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.
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Examples of yen in a Sentence
Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2024
Just as the Japanese yen has provided money for global investment, this threat of decryption has become the basis of increasing activity in the quantum computing industry.
—Pravir Malik, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
Private consumption has been a soft spot in the economy, which has stuttered over the past year as households struggle with rising living costs, blamed in part on higher import prices due to the weak yen.
—Reuters, CNN, 15 Aug. 2024
Related Articles On Wednesday, Shiseido reported an operating loss of 2.7 billion yen in the six months ended June 30, versus a profit of 13.63 billion yen in the same prior-year period.
—Jennifer Weil, WWD, 8 Aug. 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.
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“Yen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yen. Accessed 16 Sep. 2024.
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