English▸ verb [no object] have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from:
she yearned for a glimpse of him
[with infinitive] they yearned to go home
some people yearn for a return to monarchy.
▪ archaic be filled with compassion or warm feeling:
no fellow spirit yearned toward her.
– ORIGIN Old English giernan, from a Germanic base meaning ‘eager’.