Loading earlier words…
Yahwist Jehovist Jahwist Jahvist

The author of the passages of the Old Testament, esp. those of the Hexateuch, in which God is styled Yahweh, or Jehovah; the author of the Yahwistic, or Jehovistic, Prophetic Document (J); also, the document itself.

Yak

A bovine mammal (Poephagus grunnies) native of the high plains of Central Asia. Its neck, the outer side of its legs, and its flanks, are covered with long, flowing, fine hair. Its tail is long and bushy, often white, and is valued as an ornament and for other purposes in India and China. There are several domesticated varieties, some of which lack the mane and the long hair on the flanks. Called also chauri gua, grunting cow, grunting ox, sarlac, sarlik, and sarluc.

Yakin

A large Asiatic antelope (Budorcas taxicolor) native of the higher parts of the Himalayas and other lofty mountains. Its head and neck resemble those of the ox, and its tail is like that of the goat. Called also budorcas.

Yakoots

(Ethnol.) A nomadic Mongolian tribe native of Northern Siberia, and supposed to be of Turkish stock. They are mainly pastoral in their habits.

Yaksha

A kind of demigod attendant on Kuvera, the god of wealth.

Yakut

The Turkish language of the Yakuts, a Mongolian people of northeastern Siberia, which is lingua franca over much of eastern Siberia.

Yalah

The oil of the mahwa tree.

Yalu

A river in eastern Asia, which rises in North Korea and flows southwest to Korea Bay (forming part of the border between North Korea and China).

Yam

A large, esculent, farinaceous tuber of various climbing plants of the genus Dioscorea; also, the plants themselves. Mostly natives of warm climates. The plants have netted-veined, petioled leaves, and pods with three broad wings. The commonest species is Dioscorea sativa, but several others are cultivated.

Yama

The king of the infernal regions, corresponding to the Greek Pluto, and also the judge of departed souls. In later times he is more exclusively considered the dire judge of all, and the tormentor of the wicked. He is represented as of a green color, with red garments, having a crown on his head, his eyes inflamed, and sitting on a buffalo, with a club and noose in his hands.

Yamen

In China, the official headquarters or residence of a mandarin, including court rooms, offices, gardens, prisons, etc.; the place where the business of any public department is transcated.

Yamp

An umbelliferous plant (Carum Gairdneri); also, its small fleshy roots, which are eaten by the Indians from Idaho to California.

Yang

To make the cry of the wild goose.

yang

One of the two fundamental principles. See yin and yang.

Yangtze

a major river of Asia, which flows into the East China Sea.

Yank

An abbreviation of Yankee.

Yankee

Of or pertaining to a Yankee; characteristic of the Yankees.

Yankee-Doodle

The name of a tune adopted popularly as one of the national airs of the United States.

Yankeeism

A Yankee idiom, word, custom, or the like.

Yaourt

A fermented drink, or milk beer, made by the Turks.

Yap

A bark; a yelp.

Yapock

A South American aquatic opossum (Chironectes variegatus) found in Guiana and Brazil. Its hind feet are webbed, and its fore feet do not have an opposable thumb for climbing. Called also water opossum.

Yarage

The power of moving, or being managed, at sea; -- said with reference to a ship.

Yard

To confine (cattle) to the yard; to shut up, or keep, in a yard; as, to yard cows.

Yardarm

Either half of a square-rigged vessel's yard{6}, from the center or mast to the end.

Yardful

As much as a yard will contain; enough to fill a yard.

yardie

A member of an international gang of Jamaican criminals who sell drugs and violence.

Yardland

A measure of land of uncertain quantity, varying from fifteen to forty acres; a virgate.

yardline

Any of the lines parallel to the goal lines indicating distance from the goal line on a football the field; as, the twenty-five yardline.

Yardstick

A stick three feet, or a yard, in length, used as a measure of distance, cloth, etc.

yare

Ready; dexterous; eager; lively; quick to move.

Yarnen

Made of yarn; consisting of yarn.

Yarr

To growl or snarl as a dog.

Yarrow

An American and European composite plant (Achillea Millefolium) with very finely dissected leaves and small white corymbed flowers. It has a strong, and somewhat aromatic, odor and taste, and is sometimes used in making beer, or is dried for smoking. Called also milfoil, and nosebleed.

Yarwhip

The European bar-tailed godwit; -- called also yardkeep, and yarwhelp. See Godwit.

yashmak

the face veil worn by Muslim women.

Yataghan

A long knife, or short saber, common among Mohammedan nations, usually having a double curve, sometimes nearly straight.

Yate

A gate. See 1st Gate.

Yaup

To cry out like a child; to yelp.

Yauper

One who, or that which, yaups.

Yaupon

A shrub (Ilex Cassine) of the Holly family, native from Virginia to Florida. The smooth elliptical leaves are used as a substitute for tea, and were formerly used in preparing the black drink of the Indians of North Carolina. Called also South-Sea tea.

Yautia

In Puerto Rico, any of several araceous plants or their starchy edible roots, which are cooked and eaten like yams or potatoes, as the taro.

Yaw

A movement of a vessel by which she temporarily alters her course; a deviation from a straight course in steering.

Yaw-weed

A low, shrubby, rubiaceous plant (Morinda Royoc) growing along the seacoast of the West Indies. It has small, white, odorous flowers.

yawd

A jade; an old horse or mare.

yawl

A small ship's boat, usually rowed by four or six oars.

Yawl

To cry out like a dog or cat; to howl; to yell.

Yawl-rigged

Having two masts with fore-and-aft sails, but differing from a schooner in that the after mast is very small, and stepped as far aft as possible. See Illustration in Appendix.

Yawn

An involuntary act, excited by drowsiness, etc., consisting of a deep and long inspiration following several successive attempts at inspiration, the mouth, fauces, etc., being wide open.

Yaws

A disease, occurring in the Antilles and in Africa, characterized by yellowish or reddish tumors, of a contagious character, which, in shape and appearance, often resemble currants, strawberries, or raspberries. There are several varieties of this disease, variously known as framboesia, pian, verrugas, and crab-yaws.

Ycleped

Called; named; -- obsolete, except in archaic or humorous writings.

Ye

Yea; yes.

Yea

An affirmative vote; one who votes in the affirmative; as, a vote by yeas and nays.

Yead

Properly, a variant of the defective imperfect yode, but sometimes mistaken for a present. See the Note under Yede.

Yean

To bring forth young, as a goat or a sheep; to ean.

year 2000 compliant

having dates fully and properly represented, and not susceptible to failure due to the year 2000 bug.

year 2000 problem year 2000 bug

an error in the coding of certain computer programs in which the year portion of dates was represented by only two decimal digits, assuming that the first two digits are /19/. In such a program the the year 1975 is represented as /75/. This was a common practise in computer programming even into the 1990's, as many programmers failed to consider that their programs would be used after the year 1999. Thus, with such a program, a person born in 2000 would be considered as 101 years old in 2001; many different serious problems, as various as the programs, could be caused by such an error.

year-end

taking place at the close of a fiscal year.

year-old

having reached an age as specified; as, a two-year-old toddler.

year-round

operating or continuing throughout the year; as, a year-round resort; a year-round job. Antonym of seasonal.

Yeara

The California poison oak (Rhus diversiloba). See under Poison, a.

Yearbook

A book published yearly; any annual report or summary of the statistics or facts of a year, designed to be used as a reference book; as, the Congregational Yearbook.

Yeared

Containing years; having existed or continued many years; aged.

Yearly

Annually; once a year to year; as, blessings yearly bestowed.

Yearn

To be filled with longing desire; to be harassed or rendered uneasy with longing, or feeling the want of a thing; to strain with emotions of affection or tenderness; to long; to be eager.

yearning

full of longing or unfulfilled desire.

Yearnings

The maws, or stomachs, of young calves, used as a rennet for curdling milk.

Yeast-bitten

A term used of beer when the froth of the yeast has reentered the body of the beer.

Yeastiness

The quality or state of being yeasty, or frothy.

Yeasty

Frothy; foamy; spumy, like yeast.

Yedding

The song of a minstrel; hence, any song.

Yell

A sharp, loud, hideous outcry.

yelling

The uttering of one or more loud inarticulate cries, as of pain or excitement.

Yellow

To become yellow or yellower.

Yellow pages

a telephone book or part of a book in which the telephone numbers and often advertisements of business enterprises are listed in numerous sections, organized by the category of the business, the categories themselves being arranged alphabetically; a classified telephone directory. So called because for many years the listing thus organized was printed on yellow paper, to distinguish it from the white pages containing the names of individuals, listed alphabetically by last name. The yellow pages are usually bound together with the white pages in the telephone book distributed by the telephone company to its subscribers. The name was adopted by companies not affiliated with the telephone company, for the classified business directories that they sell.

yellow-brown

Having a color intermediate between yellow and brown.

Yellowbird

The American goldfinch, or thistle bird. See Goldfinch. The common yellow warbler; -- called also summer yellowbird. See Illust. of Yellow warbler, under Yellow, a.

Yellowfish

A rock trout (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) found on the coast of Alaska; -- called also striped fish, and Atka mackerel.

Yellowhammer

A common European finch (Emberiza citrinella). The color of the male is bright yellow on the breast, neck, and sides of the head, with the back yellow and brown, and the top of the head and the tail quills blackish. Called also yellow bunting, scribbling lark, and writing lark. The flicker.

Yellowing

The act or process of making yellow.

Yellowish

Somewhat yellow; as, amber is of a yellowish color.

Yellowlegs

Any one of several species of long-legged sandpipers of the genus Totanus, in which the legs are bright yellow; -- called also stone snipe, tattler, telltale, yellowshanks; and yellowshins. See Tattler, 2.

Loading more words…