Meanings
plural yepsens · alternative eapns · alternative espin · alternative ipson · alternative yaspen · alternative yeepsen · alternative yepsintle · alternative yespen · alternative yespfull · alternative yestmus
- UKdialectalobsoleteAmount that can be held in two hands cupped together.
- UKdialectalobsoleteTwo hands cupped together.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Old English*ġēap“bent, curved”
- Old English*ġēapsponn
- Middle Englishyespon
- Englishyepsen
From Middle English yespon, yepson, ȝespon, ȝespen, ȝispon (“a measure of volume equivalent to that contained in a person’s hands cupped together”), probably from Old English *ġēapsponn, *ġēapspann, from Old English *ġēap (“bent, curved”) + spann (“measure of the palm or hand”), equivalent to gap + span. Compare West Frisian gasp (“buckle, clasp”), Dutch gesp (“buckle, clasp”), Middle Low German gespe (“the cavity between the hands when held together”), Old Norse gaupn (“hollow made by cupped hands”). Doublet of gowpen.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
yepsen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yepsen
“yepsen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yepsen. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yepsen,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yepsen.
Source: yepsen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.