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Although yen suggests no more than a strong desire these days (as in "a yen for a beach vacation"), at one time someone with a yen was in deep trouble: the first meaning of yen was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from Cantonese yīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning "opium," and yáhn, "craving." In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen.
Synonyms
Examples of yen in a Sentence
Noun (2)
I have a strange yen to take the day off from work
Verb
what car lover doesn't yen for a new car at the start of every model year
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Morris, Fortune Asia, 5 Nov. 2024
Goldman has a target price of 2,200 Japanese yen ($14.50) on the stock, implying 44.3% potential upside.
—Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2024
Ashes is his graduation thesis film from the Tokyo University of the Arts and was made with a budget of 1.4 million yen ($9,200).
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024
The production incentive scheme launched last year was cited as helping further boost interest in Japan with its rebate of up to 1 billion yen ($6.6 million at current rates), something that Max’s Tokyo Vice took advantage of when shooting both of its seasons in the country.
—Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024
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Noun
In the April-September period, Nintendo logged net profit of 108.7 billion yen ($710 million), down 60 percent from the same period a year earlier.
—Chris Morris, Fortune Asia, 5 Nov. 2024
Goldman has a target price of 2,200 Japanese yen ($14.50) on the stock, implying 44.3% potential upside.
—Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2024
Ashes is his graduation thesis film from the Tokyo University of the Arts and was made with a budget of 1.4 million yen ($9,200).
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024
The production incentive scheme launched last year was cited as helping further boost interest in Japan with its rebate of up to 1 billion yen ($6.6 million at current rates), something that Max’s Tokyo Vice took advantage of when shooting both of its seasons in the country.
—Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for yen
Dictionary Entries Near yen
Cite this Entry
“Yen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yen. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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