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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
yarn 
[yahrn] Pronunciation Key
[yahrn] Pronunciation Key –noun
–verb (used without object)
| 1. | thread made of natural or synthetic fibers and used for knitting and weaving. |
| 2. | a continuous strand or thread made from glass, metal, plastic, etc. |
| 3. | the thread, in the form of a loosely twisted aggregate of fibers, as of hemp, of which rope is made (rope yarn). |
| 4. | a tale, esp. a long story of adventure or incredible happenings: He spun a yarn that outdid any I had ever heard. |
| 5. | Informal. to spin a yarn; tell stories. |
[Origin: bef. 1000; ME; OE gearn; c. G Garn; akin to ON gǫrn gut, Gk chord
intestine, chord1, Lith žarnà entrails, L hernia a rupture, Skt hirā vein]
intestine, chord1, Lith žarnà entrails, L hernia a rupture, Skt hirā vein]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| yarn
(yärn) Pronunciation Key
n.
intr.v. yarned, yarn·ing, yarns Informal To tell an entertaining tale or series of tales. [Middle English, from Old English gearn; see gherə- in Indo-European roots.] |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
yarn
yarn
O.E. gearn "spun fiber," from P.Gmc. *garnan (cf. O.N., O.H.G., Ger. garn, M.Du. gaern, Du. garen "yarn"), from PIE base *gher- "intestine" (cf. O.N. gorn "gut," Skt. hira "vein," Gk. khorde "intestine, gut-string," Lith. zarna "gut"). The phrase to spin a yarn "to tell a story" is first attested 1812, from a sailors' expression, on notion of telling stories while engaged in sedentary work like yarn-twisting.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| yarn | |
noun | |
| 1. | the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events; "his narration was hesitant" [syn: narration] |
| 2. | a fine cord of twisted fibers (of cotton or silk or wool or nylon etc.) used in sewing and weaving [syn: thread] |
verb | |
| 1. | tell or spin a yarn |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Yarn
Cord\ (k[^o]rd), n. [F. corde, L. chorda catgut, chord, cord, fr. Gr. chordh`; cf. chola`des intestines, L. haruspex soothsayer (inspector of entrails), Icel. g["o]rn, pl. garnir gut, and E. yarn. Cf. Chord, Yarn.]1. A string, or small rope, composed of several strands twisted together. 2. A solid measure, equivalent to 128 cubic feet; a pile of wood, or other coarse material, eight feet long, four feet high, and four feet broad; -- originally measured with a cord or line. 3. Fig.: Any moral influence by which persons are caught, held, or drawn, as if by a cord; an enticement; as, the cords of the wicked; the cords of sin; the cords of vanity. The knots that tangle human creeds, The wounding cords that bind and strain The heart until it bleeds. --Tennyson. 4. (Anat.) Any structure having the appearance of a cord, esp. a tendon or a nerve. See under Spermatic, Spinal, Umbilical, Vocal. 5. (Mus.) See Chord. [Obs.] Cord wood, wood for fuel cut to the length of four feet (when of full measure).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Acronym Finder, © 1988-2007 Mountain Data Systems
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