yen

yen · noun¹

1. Chinese · derived from銀圓 /银圆“round silver object(s), especially a piece of eight”
2. English todayyen

From Medhurst and Hepburn’s romanizations, under the influence of earlier Portuguese romanizations, of Japanese 圓(えん) (en, “round; a round object”) as ye or yen, now 円(えん) (en), from Chinese 銀圓 /银圆 (yínyuán, “round silver object(s), especially a piece of eight”): 銀 /银 (yín, “silver”) + 圓 /圆 (yuán, “circular, round; yuan, yen, dollar”). Cognate with Chinese 元 (yuán, “monetary unit, especially RMB”) and Korean 원 (won, “North or South Korean won”). Doublet of won and yuan.

yen · noun, verb²

1. Cantonese · derived from癮 /瘾“craving”
2. English todayyen

Origin uncertain, but probably from Cantonese 癮 /瘾 (jan⁵, “craving”) originally in reference to opium addiction, 煙癮 /烟瘾 (jin¹ jan⁵) or 菸癮 /烟瘾 (jin¹ jan⁵): 煙 /烟 (jin¹), 菸 /烟 (jin¹, “smoke, specifically opium”). Compare the later yen (“opium”) and yen-yen.

yen · noun³

1. Cantonese · derived from煙 /烟
2. Mandarin · derived from煙 /烟
3. English todayyen

From Mandarin 煙 /烟 (yān), 菸 /烟 (yān), or Cantonese 煙 /烟 (jin¹), 菸 /烟 (jin¹, “smoke, specifically opium”). Compare the earlier yen (“strong desire”) and later yen-yen.

Yen · proper noun⁴

1. Mandarin · borrowed from燕
2. English todayYen

From Mandarin 燕 (Yān), reinforced by Wade-Giles romanization: Yen¹.

Words from the same roots