pine

1
[ pahyn ]
See synonyms for pine on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any evergreen, conifer of the genus Pinus, having long, needle-shaped leaves, certain species of which yield timber, turpentine, tar, pitch, etc.: Compare pine family.

  2. any of various similar coniferous trees.

  1. the wood of the pine tree.

  2. Informal. the pineapple.

Origin of pine

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English pin(e), pigne, Old English pīntrēow “pine tree,” from Old French pin and Latin pīnus

Other words from pine

  • pinelike, adjective

Other definitions for pine (2 of 2)

pine2
[ pahyn ]

verb (used without object),pined, pin·ing.
  1. to yearn deeply; suffer with longing; long painfully (often followed by for): to pine for one's home and family.

  2. to fail gradually in health or vitality from grief, regret, or longing (often followed by away): Separated by their families, the lovers pined away.

  1. Archaic. to be discontented; fret.

verb (used with object),pined, pin·ing.
  1. Archaic. to suffer grief or regret over.

noun
  1. Archaic. painful longing.

Origin of pine

2
First recorded before 900; Middle English pinen “to torture, torment, inflict pain, be in pain”; Old English pīnian “to torture,” derivative of pīn “torture” (Middle English pine ), from Late Latin pēna, Latin poena “punishment”; see pain

synonym study For pine

1. See yearn.

Other words for pine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pine in a sentence

  • She yearned and pined to see him once more; but she had reasoned herself down into something like patience.

    Ruth | Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
  • What hopes must it raise in a young creature who, in the midst of sordid elements, had pined for a life of elegance!

  • She warn't ever the same after that; she never complained, but she kinder pined away and did not live long.

    Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
  • For this I had pined day and night for four or five years, and now that escape was within my grasp I was obliged to throw it away.

  • Nevertheless, I pined for civilisation, and never let a day go by without scanning the bay and the open sea for a passing sail.

British Dictionary definitions for pine (1 of 3)

pine1

/ (paɪn) /


noun
  1. any evergreen resinous coniferous tree of the genus Pinus, of the N hemisphere, with long needle-shaped leaves and brown cones: family Pinaceae: See also longleaf pine, nut pine, pitch pine, Scots pine

  2. any other tree or shrub of the family Pinaceae

  1. the wood of any of these trees

  2. any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as ground pine and screw pine

Origin of pine

1
Old English pīn, from Latin pīnus pine

British Dictionary definitions for pine (2 of 3)

pine2

/ (paɪn) /


verb
  1. (intr; often foll by for or an infinitive) to feel great longing or desire; yearn

  2. (intr often foll by away) to become ill, feeble, or thin through worry, longing, etc

  1. (tr) archaic to mourn or grieve for

Origin of pine

2
Old English pīnian to torture, from pīn pain, from Medieval Latin pēna, from Latin poena pain

British Dictionary definitions for Pine (3 of 3)

Pine

/ (paɪn) /


noun
  1. Courtney. born 1964, British jazz saxophonist and clarinettist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012