hanker
/ˈhæŋkə(ɹ)/ verb
Forms hankers hankering hankered
Synonyms
Etymology
With a secondary frequentative suffix -er, ultimately pointing to Proto-Germanic *hankōną, an iterative to *hanhaną (“to hang”). Related to Dutch hunkeren (“to crave”), which continues the zero-grade iterative.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To long (for) with a keen appetite and uneasiness; to have a vehement desire; --usually with for or after; as, to hanker after fruit; to hanker after the diversions of the town. Addison.
- verb To linger in expectation or with desire. Thackeray.
Etymology [Prob. fr. hang; cf. D. hunkeren, hengelen.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hanker”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details