pine

¹ American  

[pahyn] / paɪn /

noun

1. any evergreen, conifer of the genus Pinus, having long, needle-shaped leaves, certain species of which yield timber, turpentine, tar, pitch, etc.

2. any of various similar coniferous trees.

3. the wood of the pine tree.

4. Informal. the pineapple.

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pine ² American  

[pahyn] / paɪn /

verb (used without object)

pined, pining

1. to yearn deeply; suffer with longing; long painfully (often followed byfor ).

   to pine for one's home and family.

2. to fail gradually in health or vitality from grief, regret, or longing (often followed byaway ).

   Separated by their families, the lovers pined away.

   Synonyms:

   waste, droop, languish, decline, dwindle

3. Archaic. to be discontented; fret.

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verb (used with object)

pined, pining

1. Archaic. to suffer grief or regret over.

noun

1. Archaic. painful longing.

pine ¹ British  

/ 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

3. the wood of any of these trees

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

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pine ² British  

/ paɪn /

verb

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

2. to become ill, feeble, or thin through worry, longing, etc

3. archaic (tr) to mourn or grieve for

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Pine ³ British  

/ paɪn /

noun

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

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Related Words

See yearn.

Other Word Forms

• pinelike adjective

Etymology

Origin of pine¹

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

Origin of pine²

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”; pain

Example Sentences

He picked it up, and then it was nice to have the handlebars to lean on as he led Chip and Katherine through the parking lot, over to the cluster of pine trees.

From Literature

They’ve found dozens of places where deep trenches are planned under oak and pine trees that survived the fire.

From Los Angeles Times

Their analysis showed that the waterproofing material was made from animal fat mixed with pine pitch.

From Science Daily

For decades engineers, architects, futurists, industrialists, investors and politicians have been pining for a better, faster and cheaper way to build homes.

From Los Angeles Times

In his seven-figure Olympian existence, we can step out of our solitary pining into an enviable characterization, one that is seldom offered to characters that look and love like us.

From Salon

Related Words

• ache
• crave
• grieve
• hanker
• mourn
• yearn