yearn v.

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to like, want."

It forms all or part of: catachresis; charisma; chervil; chrestomathy; Eucharist; exhort; exhortation; greedy; hortative; hortatory; yearn.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit haryati "finds pleasure, likes," harsate "is aroused;" Avestan zara "effort, aim;" Greek khresthai "to lack, want; use, make use of," kharis "grace, favor," khairein "to rejoice, delight in;" Latin hortari "exhort, encourage, urge, incite, instigate;" Russian zhariti "awake desire, charm;" Old English giernan "to strive, desire, yearn;" Gothic gairnei "desire."

Old English gierning, verbal noun from yearn (v.). Related: Yearningly.

"sharp desire, hunger," 1906, earlier yen-yen (1900), yin (1876) "intense craving for opium," from Chinese (Cantonese) yan "craving," or from a Beijing dialect word for "smoke." Reinforced in English by influence of yearn.