yen

Etymology 1

From Medhurst and Hepburn’s romanizations, under the influence of earlier Portuguese romanizations, of Japanese 圓 (“round; a round object”) as ye or yen, now 円 (en), from Chinese 銀圓／银圆 (yínyuán, “round silver object(s), especially a piece of eight”): 銀／银 (yín, “silver”) + 圓／圆 (yuán, “circular, round; yuan, yen, dollar”). Cognate with Chinese 元 (yuán, “monetary unit, especially RMB”) and Korean 원 (won, “North or South Korean won”). Doublet of won and yuan.

noun

1. The unit of Japanese currency (symbol: ¥) since 1871, divided into 100 sen.
   Passing by those clauses of it which demand no notice, we arrive at that which provides that "each proposal (for purchase) must state the price per picul of rice in gold yen." But why in gold yen, a coin as yet so scarce as to be almost beyond the ken of the foreign merchant? 24 February 1872, “The Export of Rice”, in The Japan Weekly Mail: A Political, Commercial, and Literary Journal, volume III, number 8, Yokohama: ジャパンメール新聞社 [Japan Meru Shinbunsha], →OCLC, page 95, column 1
   Does any one however believe that Japan's glorious achievements would have been possible, if the Government of that country had merely poured money like water on its standing battalions, unaugmented by reserves, and the magnificent spirit of every man, woman and child in that country had not been behind the Army to support it? Japan's ordinary budget for the Army is only about 37.3 millions yen, or a little under six crores of rupees. 28 March 1906, G[opal] K[rishna] Gokhale, “Budget Speech, 1906”, in Speeches of the Honourable Mr. G. K. Gokhale, C.I.E., Madras: Published by G[anapathi] A[graharam] Natesan & Co., Esplanade, published [1908], →OCLC, pages 171–172
   Taking the cue from his neighbours, Paul fed three 1000 yen notes into a machine beside the TV screen and the silent screen immediately exploded into a kaleidoscope of colours and instructions in Japanese below at least twenty pictures of sexy girls. […] Paul hesitated staring intently at the screen and the waiting girl while the 3,000 yen he had fed into the machine steadily dwindled at the rate of 50 yen a minute. 2011, Rei Kimura, chapter 7, in Japanese Orchid, [Bangkok?]: Bangkok Books, page 38
2. A coin or note worth one yen.
   When banks lend, they create money out of nothing, without withdrawing it from other parts of the economy. This way, fiscal policy would not have crowded out private-sector activity yen by yen, as actually happened. 2003, Richard Werner, “Preface”, in Princes of the Yen: Japan’s Central Bankers and the Transformation of the Economy, Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe

Etymology 2

in London, England.]] Origin uncertain, but probably from Cantonese 癮／瘾 (jan⁵, “craving”) originally in reference to opium addiction, 煙癮／烟瘾 (jin¹ jan⁵) or 菸癮／烟瘾 (jin¹-jan⁵): 煙／烟 (jin¹), 菸／烟 (jin¹, “smoke, specifically opium”). Compare the later yen (“opium”) and yen-yen.

noun

1. A strong desire, urge, or yearning.
   humankind's yen for knowledge
   She repeated the words: "You for me and me for you," then hummed: "Two for tea and tea for two …" Her voice trailed off … "All I got is a yen for Diana and my sweet little cute little Zigzag." 1934, Lew Levenson, chapter XX, in Butterfly Man, New York, N.Y.: Castle Books, →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: Castle Books, [1960?], →OCLC, page 208
   Like most middle-westerners, I have never had any but the vaguest race prejudices—I always had a secret yen for the lovely Scandinavian blondes who sat on porches in St. Paul but hadn’t emerged enough economically to be part of what was then society. 1936 February, F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Crack-Up”, in Esquire
   And Clocklan with a nurse for sure again. Always with nurses. Always with blonde hair. His maid has black and I guess he thrives on variety. And over there are some elderly ones with diamonds on their chests in lieu of the other things. Sometimes have a yen to get one of them in bed. Old age no object. 1955, J P Donleavy, The Ginger Man, published 1955 (France), page 342
   If a fellow chooses to tell himself that his yen for the fetching young intern in his office and his concomitant disgruntlement with his aging wife's housekeeping lacunae make perfect Darwinian sense, who am I to argue with him? 1999, Natalie Angier, “Of Hoggamus and Hogwash: Putting Evolutionary Psychology on the Couch”, in Woman: An Intimate Biography, New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company, page 382

verb

1. (transitive) To have a strong desire for.
   Yenning, groaning, longing after.] [1876, F[rancis] K[ildale] Robinson, A Glossary of Words Used in the Neighbourhood of Whitby (Series C. Original Glossaries, and Glossaries with Fresh Additions; IV), London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., 57 & 59, Ludgate Hill, →OCLC, page 227
   "Listen, I'm in Tom Bleutcher's suite at The Brompton House. Been here the whole Almighty morning. Olga wants you to have lunch with us." / "Olga? Who's she?" / "His daughter. You made a big hit with her last time they was in town. Come on down." / "Get the new writer." / "I got no new writer. Anyway she yens for you. Come on down." 1953, Alfred Bester, “Who He?”, New York, N.Y.: Dial Press, →OCLC, page 205
   C. S. Lewis warned, "The yen to publish is spiritually dangerous." The "yen" in this case is spread around, so perhaps the danger is diminished! This book has been "yenned" into existence by many, and is a two-team effort …. 1992, Peter Jordan, “Acknowledgements”, in Re-Entry: Making the Transition from Missions to Life at Home, Seattle, Wash.: YWAM Publishing

Etymology 3

From Chinese 煙／烟 (yān), 菸／烟 (yān), or Cantonese 煙／烟 (jin¹), 菸／烟 (jin¹, “smoke, specifically opium”). Compare the earlier yen (“strong desire”) and later yen-yen.

noun

1. (slang) Opium.