earn
UK /ɜːn/ · US /ɝn/ verb, proper noun
Forms earns earning earned earnt earnest earnedst earneth
- verb (transitive) To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work. “You can have the s'mores: you earned them, clearing the walkway of snow so well.”
- verb (transitive) To receive payment for work or for a role or position held (regardless of whether effort was applied or whether the remuneration is deserved or commensurate). “He earns seven million dollars a year as CEO. My bank account is only earning one percent interest.”
- verb (intransitive) To receive payment for work. “Now that you are earning, you can start paying me rent.”
- verb (transitive) To cause (someone) to receive payment or reward. “My CD earns me six percent!”
- verb (transitive) To achieve by being worthy of. “to earn a spot in the top 20”
- verb (transitive, archaic) To curdle (milk), especially in the cheesemaking process.
- verb (intransitive, obsolete) Of milk: to curdle, especially in the cheesemaking process.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To strongly long or yearn (for something or to do something).
- verb (intransitive, obsolete) To grieve.
- proper noun A river in Perth and Kinross council area, Scotland, which flows into the tidal River Tay.
Synonyms
deserve merit garner win get take in rake in rake it in yield make generate render run yearn gain clear realize realise pull in bring in
Etymology
From Middle English ernen, from Old English earnian, from Proto-West Germanic *aʀanōn, from Proto-Germanic *azanōną. This verb is denominal from the noun *azaniz (“harvest”).
* from Middle English erne, ernen (“to coagulate, congeal”) (chiefly South Midlands) [and other forms], a metathetic variant of rennen (“to run; to coagulate, congeal”), from Old English rinnan (“to run”) (with the variants iernan, irnan) and Old Norse rinna (“to move quickly, run; of liquid: to flow, run; to melt”), both from Proto-Germanic *rinnaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃er- (“to move, stir; to rise, spring”); or
* a back-formation from earning (“(Britain regional, archaic) rennet”).
A variant of yearn.
From Scottish Gaelic Èireann, genitive singular of Èirinn (“Ireland”), closely related to the river name Erne.
Webster’s 1913
- noun See Ern, n. Sir W. Scott.
- verb To merit or deserve, as by labor or service; to do that which entitles one to (a reward, whether the reward is received or not).
- verb To acquire by labor, service, or performance; to deserve and receive as compensation or wages; as, to earn a good living; to earn honors or laurels.
- verb To grieve. [Obs.]
Etymology [AS. earnian; akin to OHG. arn to reap, aran harvest, G. ernte, Goth. asans harvest, asneis hireling, AS. esne; cf. Icel. önn working season, work.]
Etymology [See 1st Yearn.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “earn”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details