pine

Meanings

Noun

• Any coniferous tree of the genus Pinus.
• Any tree (usually coniferous) which resembles a member of this genus in some respect.
• The wood of this tree.
• A pineapple.
• A painful longing.

Verb

• To languish; to lose flesh or wear away through distress.
• To long, to yearn so much that it causes suffering.
• To grieve or mourn for.
• To inflict pain upon; to torment.

Origin

• From Middle English pyne, from Latin pīnus, from Proto-Indo-European *peyH- ("sap, juice"). Cognate with Sanskrit पितु ("sap, juice, resin"). pinus.
• From Middle English pine, pyne, from Old English *pīn, from Proto-Germanic *pīnō, possibly from Latin poena, from Ancient Greek ποινή ("penalty, fine, bloodmoney"). Cognate to pain.
• Entered Germanic with Christianity; cognate to Middle Dutch pinen, Old High German pīnōn, Old Norse pína.
• From Middle English pinen, from Old English pīnian, from Proto-Germanic *pīnōną, from Proto-Germanic *pīnō, from the noun (see above). Cognate with German peinigen, Icelandic pína.