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definitions

pine

1
[pahyn]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pine ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any evergreen, coniferous tree of the genus Pinus, having long, needle-shaped leaves, certain species of which yield timber, turpentine, tar, pitch, etc.Compare pine family.
any of various similar coniferous trees.
the wood of the pine tree.
Informal. the pineapple.

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RELATED WORDS

grieve, crave, hanker, yearn, mourn, ache, desire, brood, agonize, wish, covet, want, sigh, mope, dream, fret

Origin of pine

1
before 1000; Middle English; Old English pīn < Latin pīnus
Related formspine·like, adjective

pine

2
[pahyn]

verb (used without object), pined, pin·ing.

to yearn deeply; suffer with longing; long painfully (often followed by for): to pine for one's home and family.
to fail gradually in health or vitality from grief, regret, or longing (often followed by away): Separated by their families, the lovers pined away.
Archaic. to be discontented; fret.

verb (used with object), pined, pin·ing.

Archaic. to suffer grief or regret over.

noun

Archaic. painful longing.

Origin of pine

2
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) < Late Latin pēna, Latin poena punishment. See pain

Synonyms for pine

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pine ON THESAURUS.COM
1. See yearn. 2. dwindle, decline, languish, droop, waste.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pine

Contemporary Examples of pine

Historical Examples of pine

  • Do you remember that picture you drew with charcoal on a piece of pine board?

  • At least, I did not pine overmuch for the Valley I had left behind.

    In the Valley

    Harold Frederic

  • She did not pine or grieve; she only began slowly to wonder what she could do for Eben now.

  • They were thickly wooded, for the most part with juniper and pine.

  • The pine kissed the leaping flames and a fire was kindled in its own heart.

    Classic Myths

    Mary Catherine Judd

British Dictionary definitions for pine

pine

1

noun

any evergreen resinous coniferous tree of the genus Pinus, of the N hemisphere, with long needle-shaped leaves and brown cones: family PinaceaeSee also longleaf pine, nut pine, pitch pine, Scots pine
any other tree or shrub of the family Pinaceae
the wood of any of these trees
any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as ground pine and screw pine

Word Origin for pine

Old English pīn, from Latin pīnus pine

pine

2

verb

(intr; often foll by for or an infinitive) to feel great longing or desire; yearn
(intr often foll by away) to become ill, feeble, or thin through worry, longing, etc
(tr) archaic to mourn or grieve for

Word Origin for pine

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

Pine

noun

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
Word Origin and History for pine
n.

"coniferous tree," Old English pin (in compounds), from Old French pin and directly from Latin pinus "pine, pine-tree, fir-tree," perhaps in reference to the sap or pitch, from PIE *peie- "to be fat, swell" (see fat (adj.)). Cf. Sanskrit pituh "juice, sap, resin," pitudaruh "pine tree," Greek pitys "pine tree." Also cf. pitch (n.1). Pine-top "cheap illicit whiskey," first recorded 1858, Southern U.S. slang. Pine-needle (n.) attested from 1866.

v.

Old English pinian "to torture, torment, afflict, cause to suffer," from *pine "pain, torture, punishment," possibly ultimately from Latin poena "punishment, penalty," from Greek poine (see penal). A Latin word borrowed into Germanic (cf. Middle Dutch pinen, Old High German pinon, German Pein, Old Norse pina) with Christianity. Intransitive sense of "to languish, waste away," the main modern meaning, is first recorded early 14c. Related: Pined; pining.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper