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