Having a Yen

Having a Yen Having a Yen Having a Yen By Maeve Maddox The word yen has described a Japanese monetary unit since the 1870s. This use of the word derives from Chinese yuan, round, round object, circle. In English the word yen can also mean desire or wish. Do You Have a Yen to Go to College? Have a yen for policy? Apply to be a Nat’l Academies graduate Fellow Have a yen to be an entrepreneur? Dive in now The American Yen for Zen This use of yen is from another Chinese word, Cantonese yan, craving. It came into the language as yin (1876) with the meaning intense craving for opium. The form yen dates from 1906 with the more generalized meaning sharp desire, hunger. Beginning as a slang word, yen probably gained a permanent place in the language because of its similarity to the verb to yearn, to desire earnestly; to experience a strong desire or longing for. In current usage, yen is often used to denote an idle desire rather than an intense craving. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 101Rules for Capitalization in Titles25 Favorite Portmanteau Words