pine
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to yearn deeply; suffer with longing; long painfully (often followed byfor ).
to pine for one's home and family.
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to fail gradually in health or vitality from grief, regret, or longing (often followed byaway ).
Separated by their families, the lovers pined away.
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Archaic. to be discontented; fret.
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
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any evergreen resinous coniferous tree of the genus Pinus, of the N hemisphere, with long needle-shaped leaves and brown cones: family Pinaceae See also longleaf pine nut pine pitch pine Scots pine
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any other tree or shrub of the family Pinaceae
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the wood of any of these trees
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any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as ground pine and screw pine
verb
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(intr; often foll by for or an infinitive) to feel great longing or desire; yearn
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to become ill, feeble, or thin through worry, longing, etc
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archaic (tr) to mourn or grieve for
noun
Related Words
See yearn.
Other Word Forms
- pinelike adjective
Etymology
Origin of pine1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English pin(e), pigne, Old English pīntrēow “pine tree,” from Old French pin and Latin pīnus
Origin of pine2
First recorded before 900; Middle English pinen “to torture, torment, inflict pain, be in pain”; Old English pīnian “to torture,” derivative of pīn “torture” ( Middle English pine ), from Late Latin pēna, Latin poena “punishment”; pain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A pine table about four feet square sat in the middle of that platform, surrounded by five or six chairs.
From Literature
To make, blend together garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt and basil in a food processor or blender.
From Salon
Shadow went and out came back later with some fluff — soft material like pine needles, moss or grass — to warm and cushion the egg.
From Los Angeles Times
What good would a seed do me in a mountain that refused to grow anything but pine trees and wild shrubs?
From Literature
Their plight at the hugely unpopular and vast former athletics track is well documented, with fans pining for Upton Park's intimidating atmosphere.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
