▪ I. † yern, a. Obs.
Forms: 1 ᵹeorn, 3 ȝeorn, 3–5 ȝern, (4 ȝarn, yerin), 4–5 ȝerne, yerne, 5 yarne, yherne, 6 yorne, yearne, (9 dial. jern).
[OE. ᵹeorn = OS. gern, OHG. gern, kern (MHG. gern, G. -gern), ON. gjarn, Goth. -ga{iacu}rns (in seinaga{iacu}rns selfish, fa{iacu}huga{iacu}rns covetous), also OS. -gerni (MLG. gerne), OHG. *gerni, kerni (MHG. -gerne); f. Teut. ger-: see yere v. and cf. yearn v.]
1. Eager, earnestly or keenly desirous; also, greedy, covetous.
| c 893 ælfred Oros. iii. viii. 122 For þæm þe æᵹþer þara folca wæs þæs ᵹefeohtes ᵹeorn. 971 Blickl. Hom. 43 Ne sceal he eac beon to ᵹeorn deadra manna feos. a 1000 Guthlac 1051 Ic eom siþes fus..edleanan ᵹeorn. a 1200 Moral Ode 256 in O.E. Hom. I. 175 Þa þe weren swa lese þet me hom ne mihte ileuen Med-ierne domes men & wrong-wise reuen. 13.. Cursor M. 14638 (Gött.) Þat ȝe war sauf ȝarn haue i bene. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vi. x. 852 To fecht wiþ him þai wer full ȝarne [v.r. yherne]. [1905 Engl. Dial. Dict. s.v. Yearn, In phr. to be jern on a thing, to be bent on it. Shr., Mtg. I'm jern on this or that.] |
b. Earnestly occupied or engaged, busy (about something).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 8205 (Cott.) O þaa wandes grett lose þai made, Þe king abute þam was ful gern [v.rr. ȝern(e]. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 147 Þer was a tonne of bras..into þe wheche tonne he was put and closyd þeryn, and fure made vndyr hote, and so þei weren ȝerne about for þat Seynt Ion schuld haue ben brent þeryn. |
2. Swift, rapid; brisk, lively; nimble, active.
| 13.. Cursor M. 23588 (Edinb.) Sun and mon, and water and stern, Þat rinnes now wit ras sa yerin. c 1386 Chaucer Miller's T. 71 But of hir song, it was as loude and yerne As any swalwe sittynge on a berne. c 1515 Scottish Field 571 (Chetham Misc. II.) Yorkshippe [sic] like yorne [v.r. (Percy MS.) yearne] men, egerly they foughten! |
▪ II. † yern, v. Obs.
Forms: 1 ᵹeiernan, ᵹeyrnan, north. ᵹeiorna, 3–4 ȝurne, ȝirne, 4–5 ȝerne, yerne. pa. tense. α. (strong) 1 ᵹearn, (ᵹarn, ᵹeharn), ᵹiarn, pl. ᵹeurnon, ᵹe-uurnun, ᵹiurnun, 3–4 ȝorn, 4 yorn, ȝorne, yorne, yourne, ȝarn, yarn, 5 yarne, yurne; β. (weak) 1 pl. ᵹeærndon, 4 yerned. pa. pple. 1 ᵹeurnen (see yearn v.2 etym.); 4 yȝarned.
[OE. ᵹeiernan, ᵹeærnan: see y- prefix 3 c and run v. For the specific sense ‘to curdle’ see yearn v.2]
1. intr. = run v. 1, 4, 5.
| c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. v. vi. (1890) 400 Þa ᵹeærndon hio sume ðraᵹe, & eft hwurfon. c 900 Wærferth tr. Gregory's Dial. xii. (1900) 88, & þa him gangendum in þam weᵹe him onᵹen ᵹeurnon [v.r. urnon] þer ærendracan. c 1300 K. Horn 749 (Laud 108), To boure he gan ȝerne. 13.. K. Alis. 565 (Laud MS.), Of wilde beestes com a grete pray, Ȝerned þorouȝout þe contray. Ibid. 2699 Forthe [he] is wiþ þat yȝarned [rime forbarnd; v.r. yroune, rime brenne]. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 881 Bot þat þe ȝonge men, so ȝepe, ȝornen þer-oute. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. iii. 213 (MS. R.) Emperoures..þurȝ ȝiftes han ȝoumen to ȝernen [v.r. renne] and to ride. a 1400 Octouian 561 The maryners..yorne awey, with good wylle, Well hastyly. Ibid. 965 Vpon a stede he gan yerne With sper and scheld. c 1400 St. Jer. 15 Tokens 45 Þe deuelen willen come ȝernend & speten fire & blast. c 1425 Engl. Conq. Irel. 74 He saw a mych flote of wylde swyne yernynge vp-on hugh & moryce. Ibid. 82 He yarne to snellych for to socur hym. |
b. = run v. 9.
| c 1055 Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia VIII. 298 Þes circul ys todæled ontwelf, & seo sunne ᵹeyrnð þas twelf fætu binnan .xii. monðum. Ibid. 320 Saturnus ys se ytemesta he ᵹeyrnð his ryne binnan þrittiᵹum wintrum. 1340 Ayenb. 84 Stedeuest and lestinde ase þe zonne, þet alneway yernþ and ne is neure wery. 1340 [see yerning below]. |
2. = run v. 20.
| 1340 Ayenb. 27 Vor hit behoueþ þet zuich wyn yerne by þe teppe, ase þer is ine þe tonne. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xix. 376 (MS. B) Water..Egerlich ȝernynge out of mennes eyen. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 105 Þe streem of Egipte þat ȝerneþ westward in to þe grete see. a 1400 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 8671 (MS. C) Þe blod ȝorn to grounde. |
3. fig. = run v. 27, 29, 31.
| c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. iv. xxviii[i]. (1890) 366 Þa ᵹeorn ðær sona upp ᵹenihtsumlic yrð & wæstm. c 900 Wærferth tr. Gregory's Dial. xxi. (1900) 147 Swa hwæt swa þe on mod ᵹeurne [orig. quidquid animo occurrit]. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 529 Þenne al rypez & rotez þat ros vpon fyrst, & þus ȝirnez þe ȝere in ȝisterdayez mony. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xi. 59, I forȝat ȝouthe and ȝarn [v.rr. yarne, ȝerne; 1393 ȝorn(e, ȝarn] in-to elde. 1393 Ibid. C. xix. 165 Enuye and vuel will ȝorn in þe Iewes. |
Hence † yerning vbl. n., running, course; ppl. a., running; also † yerner, a runner.
| 1340 Ayenb. 141 Þe sterre þet hatte staturne,..þet asemoche yernþ in onelepi daye mid þe firmament..ase he deþ ine þritti yer ine his oȝene sercle and ine his oȝene yerninge. Ibid. 255 Þe melle wyþoute scluse þet alne-way went be þe yernynge of þe wetere. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 13 Þanne þe province was swiþe destourbed by rennynge of [MS. γ ȝurnyng and] reses of straungers. a 1400 Praier & Compl. Ploughman (1531) F ij, Thou ne madest none suche shepherdes ne kepers of thy schepe, that weren yerners aboute countreys. a 1400 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 8288 (MS. C) Þe ȝurnende water was of hor blod al red. c 1425 Engl. Conq. Irel. 94 Bytwene twe perylle:—on on halue, þe wode-yernynge watyr so grysly; on other halue, hys fomen. |
▪ III. yern(e
obs. ff. earn v.1, iron, yarn, yearn.