# yearning

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈjɝnɪŋ/ · frequency rank #21,429

## Definitions
1. A wistful or melancholy longing.

## Etymology
From Middle English yerning, from Old English ġierning, ġierninge. Equivalent to the gerund (yearn + -ing). yearn comes from Proto-West Germanic *girnijan, from Proto-Germanic *girnijaną, from *gernaz (“eager, willing”) + *-janą, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to yearn for”). By surface analysis, yearn + -ing.

## Easily confused with
- **yawning** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yawning-vs-yearning)
- **yearling** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yearling-vs-yearning)

## Common misspellings (12)
`eyarning`, `yaerning`, `yeanring`, `yearinng`, `yearnign`, `yearningg`, `yearninng`, `yearnnig`, `yearnning`, `yearrning`, `yeraning`, `yyearning`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/yearning