yen

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 9, 2022 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>yen</strong> &#149; \YEN\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p>A <em>yen</em> is a strong desire, urge, or craving for something.</p> <p>// After dinner, the family went out for ice cream to satisfy their <em>yen</em> for something sweet.</p> <p>// Students with a <em>yen</em> to travel should consider studying abroad.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yen#h2">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"During the spring, retirees come south to New Hampshire for day trips, including shopping at outlets, while in summer the visitors are families with a <em>yen</em> for outdoor activities." — John Koziol, <em>The New Hampshire Union Leader</em>, 14 Oct. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>Although <em>yen</em> suggests no more than a strong desire these days (as in "a yen for a beach vacation"), at one time someone with a yen was in deep trouble: the first meaning of <em>yen</em> was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cantonese">Cantonese</a> <em>yīn-yáhn</em>, a combination of <em>yīn</em>, meaning "opium," and <em>yáhn</em>, "craving." In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as <em>yen-yen</em>.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>