Etymology

yank

Y4A1N1K5

Today it means: A sudden, vigorous pull (sometimes defined as mass times jerk, or rate of change of force). Full definition →

Scots yank
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yank · noun, verb1

  1. Scots · borrowed fromyank
  2. English todayyank

Attested since 1822; from Scots yank. Unknown origin.

Yank · noun2

Clipping of Yankee.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.