# earn

Pronunciation: say "URN" US /ɝn/, UK /ɜːn/

## Verb

1. To get something such as praise, success, or a reputation because of your work, actions, or qualities.
   - Simple: To get something, such as praise or a punishment, because of what you did or what you are like.
   - _She earned a reputation for fairness during her twenty years as a judge._
   - _Teams earn the public's trust by being honest about their mistakes._
2. To get money as payment for work you do or a position you hold, or as interest or profit from savings, investments, or a business.
   - Simple: To get money for doing a job, or as interest or profit from savings or a business.
   - _Board members earn a retainer whether or not they attend meetings._
   - _The executive earned a seven-figure package during a year the company lost money._
3. To cause someone to receive payment or reward, as when an action or asset brings them income.
   - Simple: To bring in money or a reward for someone.
   - _A good credit score can earn borrowers lower interest rates._
   - _Her performance earned the whole cast a standing ovation._

## Verb

4. To curdle milk, or of milk to curdle, especially in making cheese. *(archaic, British)*
   - Simple: To make milk thick and lumpy, or for milk to become so, especially when making cheese.
5. To long or yearn intensely for something or to do something. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To want something or to do something very badly.
6. To feel or express deep grief. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To feel deep sadness, especially after a loss.

## Other meanings

- (noun) Alternative form of erne, found in British dialects.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3** — Proto-Germanic *azanōną, a verb made from the noun *azaniz, meaning "harvest," passed through Proto-West Germanic *aʀanōn into Old English as earnian and then into Middle English as ernen.
**Meaning 4** — Probably either from Middle English erne, ernen ("to coagulate, congeal"), a metathetic variant of rennen ("to run; congeal") from Old English rinnan and Old Norse rinna, both from Proto-Germanic *rinnaną and ultimately Proto-Indo-European *h₃er- ("to move, stir"); or a back-formation from earning ("rennet").
**Meanings 5–6** — A variant of yearn.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/earn (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).