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hanker

 [hang-ker]   Origin

han·ker

   [hang-ker]
verb (used without object)
to have a restless or incessant longing (often followed by after, for, or an infinitive).
Origin:
1595–1605; < early Dutch dialect hankeren (cognate with Dutch hunkeren), frequentative of hangen to hang

Related forms
han·ker·er, noun

Synonyms
See yearn.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Hanker is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
to spend time idly; loaf.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
hanker (ˈhæŋkə)
 
—vb (foll by for, after, or an infinitive)
to have a yearning (for something or to do something)
 
[C17: probably from Dutch dialect hankeren]
 
'hankering
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

hanker
c.1600, probably from Flem. hankeren, related to Du. hunkeren "to hanker," perhaps intens. of M.Du. hangen "to hang." The notion is of "lingering about" with longing or craving.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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