Yen

WORD OF THE DAY

yen / noun / YEN

Definition
1: the basic monetary unit of Japan
2a: a strong desire or propensity
2b: urge, craving

Examples
"During the spring, retirees come south to New Hampshire for day trips, including shopping at outlets, while in summer the visitors are families with a yen for outdoor activities."
— John Koziol, The New Hampshire Union Leader, 14 Oct. 2021

"In me you see a youth who's completely on the loose. No yens, no yearnings. No strings, no connections."
— Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) in: Top Hat (1935)

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.