Meanings
yon1
- dateddialectalDistant, but within sight; (that thing) just over there.
He went to climb yon hill.
5 more examples
Read thy lot in yon celestial sign.
1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLCCrossing this dusky entry, and on through yon low-arched way—cut through what in old times must have been a great central chimney with fireplaces all round—you enter the public room.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 3”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC"[…] Yet first let me close yonder shutters; the slanting rain is beating through the sash. I will bar up." "Are you mad? Know you not that yon iron bar is a swift conductor? Desist."
1856, Herman Melville, The Lightning Rod Man"Do my eyes deceive me, or is yon object a Puddin'?" he cried.
1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 158His head... his head... his face... it wisnae there. Nae black curly hair, nae eyes - I've never seen eyes sae blue as Joe's. Irises blue as yon sky. Blown tae smithereens... his gorgeous, bonny head, no there.
2012 Spring, Gerda Stevenson, “Federer versus Murray”, in Salmagundi
- dateddialectalnot comparableyonder.
- dateddialectalThat one or those over there.
As soon as old Andrew came home, his wife and he, as was natural, instantly began to converse on the events of the preceding night; and in the course of their conversation Andrew said, "Gudeness be about us' Jean, was not yon an awfu' speech o' our bairn's to young Jock Allanson last night?"
1828, James Hogg, Mary Burnet
yon2
Yon3
Yon4
Yon5
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbat or in an indicated (usually distant) place (‘yon’ is archaic and dialectal)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
yon · determiner, adverb, pronoun
- Proto-Germanic*jainaz
- Old Englishġeon
- Middle Englishyon
- Englishyon
From Middle English yon, from Old English ġeon, from Proto-Germanic *jainaz. Cognate with Dutch geen and German jener.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Yon · proper noun
- FrenchYon
- EnglishYon
From French Yon, from the Latin personal name Ionis. Ionis was also named as a daughter of Ἴναχος (Ínakhos), see Ἰώ (Iṓ).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Yon · proper noun
From Korean 연(延) (Yeon), 연(燕) (Yeon), 연(連) (Yeon), or 연(淵) (Yeon).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech tamten, onen
- tamtenthat thing, distant, but within sight
- onenthat thing, distant, but within sight
Dutch gene
- genethat thing, distant, but within sight
Finnish tuo
- tuothat thing, distant, but within sight
French celui-là, celle-là
- celui-làthat thing, distant, but within sight
- celle-làthat thing, distant, but within sight
- ceux-làthat thing, distant, but within sight
- celles-làthat thing, distant, but within sight
- YonFrench surname
German jener, jene
- jenerthat thing, distant, but within sight
- jenethat thing, distant, but within sight
- jenesthat thing, distant, but within sight
- jenethat thing, distant, but within sight
Greek εκείνος
- εκείνος (ekeínos)that thing, distant, but within sight
Italian quello, quella
- quellothat thing, distant, but within sight
- quellathat thing, distant, but within sight
- quellithat thing, distant, but within sight
- quellethat thing, distant, but within sight
Japanese あの, あれ
- あの (ano)that thing, distant, but within sight
- あれ (are)that thing, distant, but within sight
Korean 저것, 연
- 저것 (jeogeot)that thing, distant, but within sight
- 연 (Yeon)Korean surname
- 연 (Yeon)Korean surname
- 연 (Yeon)Korean surname
- 연 (Yeon)Korean surname
Latin ille, illa
- illethat thing, distant, but within sight
- illathat thing, distant, but within sight
- illudthat thing, distant, but within sight
Portuguese aquilo, aquela
- aquilothat thing, distant, but within sight
- aquelathat thing, distant, but within sight
- aquelethat thing, distant, but within sight
Russian вон тот
- вон тот (von tot)that thing, distant, but within sight
Spanish aquel, aquella
- aquelthat thing, distant, but within sight
- aquellathat thing, distant, but within sight
- aquellothat thing, distant, but within sight
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with yon
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
yon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yon
“yon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yon. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yon,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yon.
Source: yon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.