longing
n. C / Un. a very strong feeling of wanting someone or something that is far away or hard to get.
n. a strong, persistent desire or yearning for something or someone, often characterized by a sense of absence or distance.
She felt a deep longing for her home country.
After years of living in the city, he felt a sudden longing for the quiet life of the countryside.
The poet captures a sense of existential longing, describing a search for meaning that remains perpetually out of reach despite his worldly successes.
From Middle English longynge, langynge, langand, from Old English langiende, from Proto-Germanic langōndz, present participle of Proto-Germanic langōną (“to desire, long for”), equivalent to long + -ing (present participle ending).
From Middle English longinge, langynge, from Old English longung, langung (“longing, desire”), from Proto-Germanic langungō, gerund of Proto-Germanic langōną (“to desire, long for”), equivalent to long + -ing (gerund ending).
Often followed by the preposition 'for' or an infinitive 'to' clause.