overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

yarn.

A twisted strand of fibre used for knitting or weaving.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/jɑːn/Received-Pronunciation/jɑɹn/US

  1. A twisted strand of fibre used for knitting or weaving.

    uncountable

  2. Bundles of fibres twisted together, and which in turn are twisted in bundles to form strands, which in their turn are twisted or plaited to form rope.

    countable · uncountable

  3. A story, a tale, especially one that is incredible.

    countable
    spin a yarn
Where this word comes from

From Middle English yern, yarn, from the Old English ġearn (“yarn, spun wool”), from Proto-West Germanic *garn, from Proto-Germanic *garną (“yarn”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰorn-, *ǵʰerH- (“tharm, guts, intestines”). Cognates Akin to West Frisian jern, Dutch garen (“yarn”), German Garn (“yarn”), Danish garn, Swedish garn (“yarn, thread”), Icelandic garn (“yarn”), Latin hernia (“rupture”), Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string”), Sanskrit हिर (hira, “band”). Compare also the obsolete doublet garn.

verb/jɑːn/Received-Pronunciation/jɑɹn/US

  1. To tell a story or stories, especially one that is lengthy or unlikely to be true.

    intransitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English yern, yarn, from the Old English ġearn (“yarn, spun wool”), from Proto-West Germanic *garn, from Proto-Germanic *garną (“yarn”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰorn-, *ǵʰerH- (“tharm, guts, intestines”). Cognates Akin to West Frisian jern, Dutch garen (“yarn”), German Garn (“yarn”), Danish garn, Swedish garn (“yarn, thread”), Icelandic garn (“yarn”), Latin hernia (“rupture”), Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string”), Sanskrit हिर (hira, “band”). Compare also the obsolete doublet garn.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

yarn has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

yarn studioyarn workshello, yarn

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.