/ jen; NAmE / noun
1.
( pl. yen ) [ C ] the unit of money in Japan
2.
the yen [ sing. ] ( finance ) the value of the yen compared with the value of the money of other countries
3.
[ C , usually sing. ] yen (for sth / to do sth) a strong desire
SYN longing :
I've always had a yen to travel around the world.
••
WORD ORIGIN
senses 1 to 2 from Japanese en round.
sense 3 late 19th cent. (in the sense craving (of a drug addict) for a drug ): from Chinese yăn .