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

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

Tree surgeons cut down historic pines near Rome's Colosseum on Friday, a fortnight after three people were hurt when a massive tree fell near the Imperial Forum.

From Barron's

Jackie, the hatchling from 2011, is now the star of a 24-hour webcam that monitors her and her partner, Shadow, 145 feet up in a Jeffrey pine overlooking Big Bear Lake.

From Los Angeles Times

On the front is a huge cartoon moose against a geometric landscape of green pine trees, blue mountains, and a bright yellow sun.

From Literature

In between shoots, she drank tea made from boiled snow and pine needles, and warmed her feet by a crackling fire.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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