yen
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Origin of yen
1Words nearby yen
Other definitions for yen (2 of 2)
Origin of yen
2VOCAB BUILDER
What does yen mean?
Yen is a monetary unit of Japan similar to a dollar. It comes in the form of a coin that’s also called a yen.
The symbol for yen is ¥. Like a dollar, it can be divided into 100 parts called sen (though sen are not used in practice).
The plural of yen is yen.
Unrelatedly, yen is a slang term meaning a strong craving, desire, or yearning. It’s especially used in the phrase have a yen for. It can also be used as a verb meaning to crave or strongly desire.
Example: Ever since I came back from Italy, I’ve had a yen for fresh pasta.
Where does yen come from?
The first records of the word yen in English in reference to the currency come from the 1870s. It comes from the Chinese word yüan, meaning “circular object” or something like “dollar.” This word is also the basis of the Chinese unit of currency called the yuan. Yen coins are indeed circle-shaped, but yen banknotes come in varying denominations, just like the dollar.
The slang sense of the word yen was first used in the U.S. The first records of this use come from the early 1900s. It grew out of an earlier use referring to a craving for opium due to addiction, and in fact the word comes from a Chinese term that means “addiction” or “craving.”
If you have a yen for something, it means you have a craving for it. If you yen for something, you yearn for it. In both cases, the desire is strong, perhaps even passionate.
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How is yen used in real life?
When it refers to currency, yen is used in all the same ways that dollar is (except that the plural of yen is yen). The slang sense of yen is not so commonly used.
pro tip: change all your apps' currency to yen and you will feel like a baller
— Liam Ronan (@liampronan) May 6, 2020
I have a yen for some deep fried whitebait. How do I make this happen pic.twitter.com/p6CLuXIBcB
— oh. (@the_obald) May 19, 2020
Was yenning for an iPad, but I don't do proprietary, so I bought a new LG monitor instead.
— RebellionIsGood (@RebellionisGood) April 4, 2010
Try using yen!
Is yen used correctly in this sentence?
We dropped a lot of yen to quench our yen for authentic sushi.
How to use yen in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for yen (1 of 2)
Word Origin for yen
British Dictionary definitions for yen (2 of 2)
Word Origin for yen
Other Idioms and Phrases with yen
see have a yen for.