noun
1.
a device for joining together a pair of draft animals, especially oxen, usually consisting of a crosspiece with two bow-shaped pieces, each enclosing the head of an animal. Compare harness ( def 1 ).
2.
a pair of draft animals fastened together by a yoke: five yoke of oxen.
3.
something resembling a yoke or a bow of a yoke in form or use.
4.
a frame fitting the neck and shoulders of a person, for carrying a pair of buckets or the like, one at each end.
5.
an agency of oppression, subjection, servitude, etc.
6.
an emblem or symbol of subjection, servitude, slavery, etc., as an archway under which prisoners of war were compelled to pass by the ancient Romans and others.
7.
something that couples or binds together; a bond or tie.
8.
Machinery. a viselike piece gripping two parts firmly together.
9.
Also called fork. a forklike termination for a rod or shaft, inside which another part is secured.
10.
a fitting for the neck of a draft animal for suspending the tongue of a cart, carriage, etc., from a harness.
11.
a crosshead attached to the upper piston of an opposed-piston engine with rods to transmit power to the crankshaft.
12.
(in an airplane) a double handle, somewhat like a steering wheel in form, by which the elevators are controlled.
13.
Nautical. a crossbar on the head of the rudder of a small boat, having lines or chains attached to the ends so as to permit the steering of the boat from forward.
14.
15.
a shaped piece in a garment, fitted about or below the neck and shoulders or about the hips, from which the rest of the garment hangs.
16.
a horizontal piece forming the top of a window frame. See diag. under double-hung.
17.
a Y -shaped piece connecting branch pipes with a main soil pipe.
18.
19.
British Dialect.
a.
the time during which a plowman and team work without stopping; a period of plowing.
b.
a measure or area of land equal to over 50 but less than 60 acres.
20.
a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter Y.
verb (used with object)
21.
to put a yoke on; join or couple by means of a yoke.
22.
to attach (a draft animal) to a plow or vehicle: to yoke oxen.
23.
to harness a draft animal to (a plow or vehicle): to yoke a wagon.
24.
to join, couple, link, or unite.
25.
Obsolete. to bring into subjection or servitude.
00:10
Yoke
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
verb (used without object)
26.
to be or become joined, linked, or united.
Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English yok(e), Old English geoc; cognate with Dutch juk, German Joch, Old Norse ok, Latin jugum, Greek zygón, Hittite yugan, Sanskrit yuga; (v.) Middle English yoken, Old English geocian, derivative of the noun
before 900; (noun) Middle English yok(e), Old English geoc; cognate with Dutch juk, German Joch, Old Norse ok, Latin jugum, Greek zygón, Hittite yugan, Sanskrit yuga; (v.) Middle English yoken, Old English geocian, derivative of the noun
Related forms
yoke·less, adjective
well-yoked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
yolk.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To yoke
Collins
World English Dictionary
yoke (jəʊk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl yokes, yoke | |
| 1. | a wooden frame, usually consisting of a bar with an oxbow or similar collar-like piece at either end, for attaching to the necks of a pair of draught animals, esp oxen, so that they can be worked as a team |
| 2. | something resembling a yoke in form or function, such as a frame fitting over a person's shoulders for carrying buckets suspended at either end |
| 3. | a fitted part of a garment, esp around the neck, shoulders, and chest or around the hips, to which a gathered, pleated, flared, or unfitted part is attached |
| 4. | an immense oppressive force or burden: under the yoke of a tyrant |
| 5. | a pair of oxen or other draught animals joined together by a yoke |
| 6. | a part, esp one of relatively thick cross section, that secures two or more components so that they move together |
| 7. | a crosshead that transmits the drive of an opposed piston engine from the upper of a pair of linked pistons to the crankshaft through a connecting rod |
| 8. | a steel framework around the formwork during the casting of concrete |
| 9. | nautical a crossbar fixed athwartships to the head of a rudderpost in a small boat, to which are attached ropes or cables for steering |
| 10. | a Y-shaped cable, rope, or chain, used for holding, towing, etc |
| 11. | (in the ancient world) a symbolic reconstruction of a yoke, consisting of two upright spears with a third lashed across them, under which conquered enemies were compelled to march, esp in Rome |
| 12. | a mark, token, or symbol of slavery, subjection, or suffering |
| 13. | rare a link, tie, or bond: the yoke of love |
| 14. | dialect (Brit) a period of steady work, esp the time during which a ploughman and his team work at a stretch |
| 15. | (Irish) any device, unusual object, or gadget: where's the yoke for opening tins? |
| —vb | |
| 16. | (tr) to secure or harness (a draught animal) to (a plough, vehicle, etc) by means of a yoke |
| 17. | to join or be joined by means of a yoke; couple, unite, or link |
| 18. | obsolete (tr) to oppress, burden, or enslave |
| [Old English geoc; related to Old High German ioh, Old Norse ok, Gothic juk, Latin iugum, Sanskrit yugam] | |
| 'yokeless | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
yoke
O.E. geoc "yoke," earlier geoht "pair of draft animals," from P.Gmc. *yukam (cf. O.S. juk, O.N. ok, Dan. aag, M.Du. joc, Du. juk, O.H.G. joh, Ger. joch, Goth. juk "yoke"), from PIE *jugom "joining" (see jugular). Figurative sense of "heavy burden, oppression, servitude"
was in O.E. The verb is from O.E. geocian.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
yoke (yōk)
n.
See jugum.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Easton
Bible Dictionary
Yoke definition
(1.) Fitted on the neck of oxen for the purpose of binding to them the traces by which they might draw the plough, etc. (Num. 19:2; Deut. 21:3). It was a curved piece of wood called _'ol_. (2.) In Jer. 27:2; 28:10, 12 the word in the Authorized Version rendered "yoke" is _motah_, which properly means a "staff," or as in the Revised Version, "bar." These words in the Hebrew are both used figuratively of severe bondage, or affliction, or subjection (Lev. 26:13; 1 Kings 12:4; Isa. 47:6; Lam. 1:14; 3:27). In the New Testament the word "yoke" is also used to denote servitude (Matt. 11:29, 30; Acts 15:10; Gal. 5:1). (3.) In 1 Sam. 11:7, 1 Kings 19:21, Job 1:3 the word thus translated is _tzemed_, which signifies a pair, two oxen yoked or coupled together, and hence in 1 Sam. 14:14 it represents as much land as a yoke of oxen could plough in a day, like the Latin _jugum_. In Isa. 5:10 this word in the plural is translated "acres."
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
yoke
wooden bar or frame used to join draft animals at the heads or necks so that they pull together. In the early Middle East and in Greece and Rome, oxen and onagers were yoked across the horns or necks. Control of a team of yoked beasts was difficult. Furthermore, ancient yokes pressed against a hard-pulling animal's windpipe, choking it. The invention of the horse collar solved this problem and led to the replacement of oxen by horses. In some areas of the world, however, oxen still are yoked together much as they were in medieval Europe.
Learn more about yoke with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
It was both a symbolic casting off of the colonial yoke and a not-too-subtle reminder that they were here first.
The facts certainly suggest that the yoke of a single currency is a barrier to recovery.
The first is that it helps countries that, through an accident of geography, suffered for years under the communist yoke.
The curved collar opens to a buttoned placket accented by delicate gathers at the yoke and cuff.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
