yen

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈyen 

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.

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• appetency
• appetite
• craving
• desire
• drive
• hankering
• hunger
• itch
• jones [slang]
• letch
• longing
• lust
• passion
• pining
• thirst
• thirstiness
• urge
• yearning

Verb

• ache (for)
• covet
• crave
• desiderate
• desire
• die (for)
• hanker (for or after)
• hunger (for)
• itch (for)
• jones (for) [slang]
• long (for)
• lust (for or after)
• pant (after)
• pine (for)
• repine (for)
• salivate (for)
• sigh (for)
• thirst (for)
• want
• wish (for)
• yearn (for)

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

Throughout the story, Yumi ranks as one of Kamurocho’s top hostesses and works alongside Kiryu to relocate the missing 10 billion yen. —Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024

Come nightfall, 292 skilled warriors gather, lured by the promise of a grand prize of 100 billion yen. —Dana Feldman, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

Operating profit for the July-September quarter tumbled 85% to 31.9 billion yen, far below a consensus estimate of 66.8 billion yen. —Daniel Leussink, Detroit Free Press, 7 Nov. 2024

Several hundred were made and sold at a price of 450,000 yen, supposedly more than a Toyota Corolla at the time! —David Flett, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2024

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

Phrases Containing yen

• the yen
• yen-shee

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Kids Definition

yen

1 of 2 noun

ˈyen 

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