English Explanatory Dictionary

yarn

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A twisted strand of fibre used for knitting or weaving.
  2. Bundles of fibres twisted together, and which in turn are twisted in bundles to form strands, which in their turn are twisted or plaited to form rope.
  3. A story, a tale, especially one that is incredible.
verb
  1. To tell a story or stories, especially one that is lengthy or unlikely to be true.

Pronunciation

yän /jɑːn/ en-au-yarn.ogg yärn /jɑɹn/ en-us-yarn.ogg

Word forms

yarn yarns yarning yarned

Etymology

From Middle English yarne, ȝern, yarn, from the Old English ġearn (“yarn, spun wool”), from Proto-West Germanic *garn, from Proto-Germanic *garną (“yarn”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰorn-, *ǵʰerH- (“tharm, guts, intestines”). Cognates Akin to West Frisian jern, Dutch garen (“yarn”), German Garn (“yarn”), Danish garn, Swedish garn (“yarn, thread”), Icelandic garn (“yarn”), Latin hernia (“rupture”), Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string”), Sanskrit हिर (hira, “band”). Compare also the obsolete doublet garn.

Synonyms

story tale

Related words

hank twine thread

Derived words

bay yarn eyelash yarn galley yarn rogue's yarn rope yarn Saxony yarn sock yarn spin a yarn yarn-beam yarn bomb yarn bomber yarn bombing yarnover yarn-spinner yarnwindle yarn dust yarn on yarner
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