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Xylophone n. Musical instrument of graduated wooden or metal bars struck with small wooden hammers. xylophonist n. [greek xulon wood] |
Y |
Y1 n. (also y) (pl. Ys or y's) 1 twenty-fifth letter of the alphabet. 2 (usu. Y) algebra second unknown quantity. 3 y-shaped thing. |
Y2 symb. Yttrium. |
-y1 suffix forming adjectives: 1 from nouns and adjectives, meaning: a full of; having the quality of (messy). B addicted to (boozy). 2 from verbs, meaning ‘inclined to’, ‘apt to’ (sticky). [old english] |
-y2 suffix (also -ey, -ie) forming diminutive nouns, pet names, etc. (granny; sally; nightie). [originally scottish] |
-y3 suffix forming nouns denoting state, condition, or quality (orthodoxy). [latin -ia, greek -eia] |
Yacht —n. 1 light sailing-vessel. 2 larger usu. Power-driven vessel for cruising. —v. Race or cruise in a yacht. [dutch jaghtschip, literally ‘pursuit-ship’] |
Yachtsman n. (fem. Yachtswoman) person who sails yachts. |
Yack slang —n. Trivial or unduly persistent conversation. —v. Engage in this. [imitative] |
Yah int. (also yah boo) expressing derision or defiance. [imitative] |
Yahoo n. Bestial person. [name of a race of brutes in gulliver's travels] |
Yahweh n. (also yahveh) = *jehovah. |
Yak n. Long-haired tibetan ox. [tibetan] |
Yale lock n. Propr. Type of lock with a revolving barrel, used for doors etc. [yale, name of its inventor] |
Yam n. 1 a tropical or subtropical climbing plant. B edible starchy tuber of this. 2 us sweet potato. [portuguese or spanish] |
Yammer colloq. Or dial. —n. 1 lament, wail, grumble. 2 voluble talk. —v. Utter a yammer. [old english] |
Yang n. (in chinese philosophy) the active male principle of the universe (cf. *yin). |
Yank n. Colloq. Often derog. American. [abbreviation of *yankee] |
Yank v. & n. Colloq. Pull with a jerk. [origin unknown] |
Yankee n. Colloq. 1 often derog. = *yank. 2 us inhabitant of new england or of the northern states. [origin uncertain: perhaps from dutch janke, diminutive of jan john, as a nickname] |
Yap —v. (-pp-) 1 bark shrilly or fussily. 2 colloq. Talk noisily, foolishly, or complainingly. —n. Sound of yapping. yappy adj. (-ier, -iest) in sense 1 of v. [imitative] |
Yarborough n. Whist or bridge hand with no card above a 9. [earl of yarborough, said to have betted against it] |
Yard1 n. 1 unit of linear measure (3 ft., 0.9144 metre). 2 this length of material. 3 square or cubic yard. 4 spar slung across a mast for a sail to hang from. 5 (in pl.; foll. By of) colloq. A great length. [old english, = stick] |
Yard2 n. 1 piece of enclosed ground, esp. Attached to a building or used for a particular purpose. 2 us & austral. Garden of a house. [old english, = enclosure] |
Yardage n. Number of yards of material etc. |
Yard-arm n. Either end of a ship's yard. |
Yardie n. Slang member of a jamaican or w. Indian gang engaging in organized crime, esp. Drug-trafficking. [jamaican english, = house, home] |
Yardstick n. 1 standard of comparison. 2 measuring rod a yard long, usu. Divided into inches etc. |
Yarmulke n. (also yarmulka) skullcap worn by jewish men. [yiddish] |
Yarn —n. 1 spun thread, esp. For knitting, weaving, etc. 2 colloq. Story, traveller's tale, anecdote. —v. Colloq. Tell yarns. [old english] |
Yarrow n. Perennial plant, esp. Milfoil. [old english] |
Yashmak n. Veil concealing the face except the eyes, worn by some muslim women. [arabic] |
Yaw —v. (of a ship or aircraft etc.) Fail to hold a straight course; go unsteadily. —n. Yawing of a ship etc. From its course. [origin unknown] |
Yawl n. A kind of ship's boat or sailing- or fishing-boat. [low german jolle or dutch jol] |
Yawn —v. 1 open the mouth wide and inhale, esp. When sleepy or bored. 2 gape, be wide open. —n. 1 act of yawning. 2 colloq. Boring idea, activity, etc. [old english] |
Yaws n.pl. (usu. Treated as sing.) Contagious tropical skin-disease with large red swellings. [origin unknown] |
Yb symb. Ytterbium. |
Y chromosome n. (in humans and some other mammals) sex chromosome occurring only in male cells. [y as an arbitrary label] |
Yd abbr. (pl. Yds) yard (measure). |
Ye1 pron. Archaic pl. Of *thou1 (ye gods!). |
Ye2 adj. Pseudo-archaic = *the (ye olde tea-shoppe). [from the obsolete y-shaped letter for th] |
Yea archaic —adv. 1 yes. 2 indeed (ready, yea eager). —n. Utterance of ‘yea’; ‘yes’ vote. [old english] |
Yeah adv. Colloq. Yes. [a casual pronunciation of *yes] |
Year n. 1 time occupied by the earth in one revolution round the sun, approx. 3651/4 days. 2 = *calendar year. 3 period of twelve months, starting at any point (four years ago; tax year). 4 (in pl.) Age, time of life (young for his years). 5 (usu. In pl.) Colloq. Very long time. 6 group of students entering college etc. In the same academic year. [old english] |
Yearbook n. Annual publication dealing with events or aspects of the (usu. Preceding) year. |
Yearling n. Animal between one and two years old. |
Yearly —adj. 1 done, produced, or occurring once a year. 2 of or lasting a year. —adv. Once a year. |