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

With that said, take a deep breath, and imagine being surrounded by the fresh scent of pine as mountain chickadees chirp all around you.

From Los Angeles Times

At the elevation where the oak and scrub give way to cedar, fir and pine, I had a horrific shock rounding a familiar bend anticipating a thrill I had felt so many times before.

From Los Angeles Times

We examined the needles and bark of each tree, being careful not to pick out a whitebark pine, Pacific yew or Western white pine—threatened or rare species.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Me, the little guy flying drones in south Mississippi over pine woods and houses, why limit those kinds of things?” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

By the time firefighters arrived six minutes later, several structures — a mobile home, a carport, three vehicles, two other outbuildings and a large pine tree — were already aflame, the city department said in a release.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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