yarn

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yarn

/jɑːn/ UK
/jɑɹn/ US

Sounds like Jan (non-rhotic) · Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)n

Where it comes from

From Middle English yern, yarn, from the Old English ġearn (“yarn, spun wool”), from Proto-West Germanic *garn, from Proto-Germanic *garną (“yarn”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰorn-, *ǵʰerH- (“tharm, guts, intestines”).

Cognates

Akin to West Frisian jern, Dutch garen (“yarn”), German Garn (“yarn”), Danish garn, Swedish garn (“yarn, thread”), Icelandic garn (“yarn”), Latin hernia (“rupture”), Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string”), Sanskrit हिर (hira, “band”). Compare also the obsolete doublet garn.

noun yarns

uncountable A twisted strand of fibre used for knitting or weaving.
countable, uncountable Bundles of fibres twisted together, and which in turn are twisted in bundles to form strands, which in their turn are twisted or plaited to form rope.
countable A story, a tale, especially one that is incredible. spin a yarn
Similar: story, tale

verb yarns · yarning · yarned

intransitive To tell a story or stories, especially one that is lengthy or unlikely to be true. "He yarns good," said Tom Platt. "T'other night he told us abaout a kid of his own size steerin' a cunnin' little rig an' four ponies up an' down Toledo, Ohio, I think 'twas, an' givin' suppers to a crowd o' sim'lar kids. Cur'us kind o' fairy-tale, but blame interestin'. He knows scores of 'em."

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: thread, story, tale, recital, narrative, narration, weaving, cord, textile, string, woollen, cordon, threads, gauze, knife, wool

Translations

Every language

noun fiber strand for knitting or weaving

Español	hilaza, estambre, pabilo, pábilo
한국어	실 sil, 털실 teolsil
日本語	糸 ito, 毛糸 keito
中文	紗線 /纱线 shāxiàn, 紗 /纱 shā, 毛線 /毛线 máoxiàn
हिन्दी	सूत sūt, धागा dhāgā, तागा tāgā
Português	lã, fio
Français	fil
Deutsch	Garn
Italiano	filo, filato
Ελληνικά	νήμα níma
Română	fir, ață
Русский	пря́жа prjáža
Tiếng Việt	sợi
العربية	خَيْط ḵayṭ
עברית	חוּט ħuṭ

noun nautical

Français	corde
Deutsch	Tau
Italiano	cordame, cordaggio
עברית	חוּט חֶבֶל khut khevel

noun story

Español	cuento, historia
日本語	ほら話 horabanashi
Português	trama
Italiano	trama, fandonia
Română	basm, poveste
Русский	ба́йка bájka, небыли́ца nebylíca
עברית	מַעֲשִׂיָּה ma'asiya

verb To tell a story

Русский	травим байки travim bajki

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Cite this

MLA

"yarn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/yarn. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

yarn. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/yarn

Chicago

"yarn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/yarn.

BibTeX

@misc{yarn_2026,
  title = {yarn},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/yarn},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}