yoke

yoke · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*yugóm“yoke”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*juką“yoke”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*juk
4. Old English · inherited fromġeoc
5. Middle English · inherited fromiuc
6. English todayyoke

From Middle English iuc, jok, yok, yoke, ȝok, ȝook, from Old English ġeoc, ġioc, ioc (“yoke”), from Proto-West Germanic *juk, from Proto-Germanic *juką (“yoke”), from Proto-Indo-European *yugóm (“yoke”), from *yewg- (“to join, yoke”). Doublet of yuga, jugum, yoga and possibly yogh. Senses 3.1 (“area of arable land”) and 3.2 (“amount of work done with draught animals”) probably referred to the area of land that could generally be ploughed by yoked draught animals within a given time. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Juk (“yoke”), Cimbrian jòch (“yoke”), Dutch juk (“yoke; burden”), German Joch (“yoke”), Luxembourgish Jach (“yoke”), Danish åg (“yoke”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish ok (“yoke”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk åk (“yoke”), Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐌺 (juk, “yoked pair of animals”); also Breton yev (“yoke”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic cuing (“yoke; bond, tie”), Manx quing (“yoke”), Welsh iau (“yoke”), Latin iugum, jugum (“yoke”), Greek ζυγός (zygós, “even; twin”), Latvian jūgs (“yoke; bondage; cart”), Lithuanian jungas (“yoke”), Bulgarian и́го (ígo), юго (jugo, “yoke”), Czech jho (“yoke”), Kashubian jigò, jugò (“yoke”), Macedonian иго (igo, “yoke”), Polabian jaiďü (“yoke”), Russian и́го (ígo, “yoke”), Serbo-Croatian и́го, ígo (“yoke”), Slovene igo (“yoke”), Ukrainian і́го (ího, “yoke”), Armenian լուծ (luc, “harness, yoke”), Persian یوغ (yuġ, “yoke”), Hittite 𒄿𒌑𒃷 (yukan, “yoke”), Tocharian A yokäm (“door”), Sanskrit युग (yuga, “yoke; brace; couple, pair”).

yoke · verb²

1. Old English · inherited fromġeoc“yoke”
2. Old English · inherited fromġeocian
3. Middle English · inherited fromyoken
4. English todayyoke

From Middle English yoken, yoke, ȝoken (“to put a harness or yoke on a draught animal or pair of such animals, to yoke; to attach (an animal to a cart, plough, etc.) with a yoke; to lock (arms) in wrestling; to bind (oneself or someone) to something”) [and other forms], from Old English ġeocian, iucian, from Old English ġeoc (“yoke”) (see etymology 1) + -ian (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns).

yoke · noun³

See yolk.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 17th c. A pole carried on the neck and shoulders of a person, used for carrying a pair of buckets, etc., one at each end of the pole; a carrying pole.
• from 20th c. Any of various devices with crosspieces used to control an aircraft; specifically, the control column.
• from 20th c. A similar device used as a game controller.
• from 19th c. The part of an item of clothing which fits around the shoulders or the hips from which the rest of the garment hangs, and which is often distinguished by having a double thickness of material, or decorative flourishes.
• from 19th c. The electromagnetic coil that deflects the electron beam in a cathode ray tube.
• from 18th c. A fitting placed across the head of the rudder with a line attached at each end by which a boat may be steered; in modern use it is primarily found in sailing canoes and kayaks.
• from 16th c. A frame placed on the neck of an animal such as a cow, pig, or goose to prevent passage through a fence or other barrier.
• from 19th c. A carriage, a horse and cart; (by extension, generally) a car or other vehicle.