Y (wi). Y, the twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet, at the beginning of a word or syllable, except when a prefix (see Y-), is usually a fricative vocal consonant; as a prefix, and usually in the middle or at the end of a syllable, it is a vowel. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 145, 178-9, 272. It derives its form from the Latin Y, which is from the Greek Υ, originally the same letter as V. Etymologically, it is most nearly related to u, i, o, and j. g; as in full, fill, AS. fyllan; E. crypt, grotto; young, juvenile; day, AS. daeg. See U, I, and J, G. Y has been called the Pythagorean letter, because the Greek letter Υ was taken represent the sacred triad, formed by the duad proceeding from the monad; and also because it represents the dividing of the paths of vice and virtue in the development of human life.

Y (wi), n. ; pl. Y’s (wiz) orYs. Something shaped like the letter Y; a forked piece resembling in form the letter Y. Specifically: (a) One of the forked holders for supporting the telescope of a leveling instrument, or the axis of a theodolite; a wye. (b) A forked or bifurcated pipe fitting. (c) (Railroads) A portion of track consisting of two diverging tracks connected by a cross track. Y level (Surv.), an instrument for measuring differences of level by means of a telescope resting in Y’s. — Y moth (Zoöl.), a handsome European noctuid moth Plusia gamma) which has a bright, silvery mark, shaped like the letter Y, on each of the fore wings. Its larva, which is green with five dorsal white species, feeds on the cabbage, turnip, bean, etc. Called also gamma moth, and silver Y.

Y (i), pron. I. [Obs.] King Horn. Wyclif. { Y-, or I- }. [OE. y-, i-, AS. ge-, akin to D. & G. ge-, OHG. gi-, ga-, Goth. ga-, and perhaps to Latin con-; originally meaning, together. Cf. Com-, Aware, Enough, Handiwork, Ywis.] A prefix of obscure meaning, originally used with verbs, adverbs, adjectives, nouns, and pronouns. In the Middle English period, it was little employed except with verbs, being chiefly used with past participles, though occasionally with the infinitive Ycleped, or yclept, is perhaps the only word not entirely obsolete which shows this use.
"That no wight mighte it see neither yheere." Chaucer.
"Neither to ben yburied nor ybrent." Chaucer. Some examples of Chaucer’s use of this prefix are; ibe, ibeen, icaught, ycome, ydo, idoon, ygo, iproved, ywrought. It inough, enough, it is combined with an adjective. Other examples are in the Vocabulary. Spenser and later writers frequently employed this prefix when affecting an archaic style, and sometimes used it incorrectly.

Ya (yä), adv. Yea. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Yachtsman
Yachts´man, n. ; pl. Yachtsmen . One who owns or sails a yacht; a yachter.

Yaffingale
Yaf´fin•gale, n. [See Yaffle, and cf. Nightingale.] (Zoöl.) The yaffle. [Prov. Eng.]

Yaffle
Yaf´fle, n. [Probably imitative of its call or cry.] (Zoöl.) The European green woodpecker ( Picus, or Genius, viridis). It is noted for its loud laughlike note. Called also eccle, hewhole, highhoe, laughing bird, popinjay, rain bird, yaffil, yaffler, yaffingale, yappingale, yackel, and woodhack.

Yahoo
Ya´hoo, n.
1. One of a race of filthy brutes in Swift’s "Gulliver’s Travels." See in the Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction.
2. Hence, any brutish or vicious character.
3. A raw countryman; a lout; a greenhorn. [U. S.] { Yah´weh, Yah´we, n. Also Jah´veh, Jah´ve, etc. } A modern transliteration of the Hebrew word translated Jehovah in the Bible; — used by some critics to discriminate the tribal god of the ancient Hebrews from the Christian Jehovah. Yahweh or Yahwe is the spelling now generally adopted by scholars. { Yah´wism, n. Also Jah´vism }.
1. The religion or worship of Yahweh (Jehovah), or the system of doctrines, etc., connected with it.
2. Use of Yahweh as a name of God.

Yak (yak), n. [Thibetan gyag.] (Zoöl.) A bovine mammal ( Poëphagus 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. Yak lace, a coarse pillow lace made from the silky hair of the yak.

Yakare
Yak´a•re, n. (Zoöl.) Same as Yacare.

Yakin
Ya´kin, n. (Zoöl.) 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.

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

Yankee
Yan´kee, n. [Commonly considered to be a corrupt pronunciation of the word English, or of the French word Anglais, by the native Indians of America. According to Thierry, a corruption of Jankin, a diminutive of John, and a nickname given to the English colonists of Connecticut by the Dutch settlers of New York. Dr. W. Gordon ("Hist. of the Amer. War," ed, 1789, vol. i., pp. 324, 325) says it was a favorite cant word in Cambridge, Mass., as early as 1713, and that it meant excellent; as a yankee good horse, yankee good cider, etc. Cf. Scot yankie a sharp, clever, and rather bold woman, and Prov. E. bow- yankees a kind of leggins worn by agricultural laborers.] A nickname for a native or citizen of New England, especially one descended from old New England stock; by extension, an inhabitant of the Northern States as distinguished from a Southerner; also applied sometimes by foreigners to any inhabitant of the United States.
"From meanness first this Portsmouth Yankey rose, And still to meanness all his conduct flows." Oppression, A poem by an American (Boston, 1765).

Yankee
Yan´kee, a. Of or pertaining to a Yankee; characteristic of the Yankees.
"The alertness of the Yankee aspect." Hawthorne. Yankee clover. (Bot.) See Japan clover, under Japan.

Yankee-Doodle
Yan•kee-Doo´dle, n.
1. The name of a tune adopted popularly as one of the national airs of the United States.
2. Humorously, a Yankee.
"We might have withheld our political noodles From knocking their heads against hot Yankee- Doodles." Moore.

Yarage
Yar´age ( 48), n. [See Yare, a. ] (Naut.) The power of moving, or being managed, at sea; — said with reference to a ship. Sir T. North.

Yard, n. [OE. yerd, AS. gierd, gyrd, a rod, stick, a measure, a yard; akin to OFries. ierde, OS. gerda, D. garde, G. gerte, OHG. gartia, gerta, gart, Icel. gaddr a goad, sting, Goth. gazds, and probably to L. hasta a spear. Cf. Gad, n. , Gird, n. , Gride, v. i., Hastate.]
1. A rod; a stick; a staff. [Obs.] P. Plowman.
"If men smote it with a yerde." Chaucer.
2. A branch; a twig. [Obs.]
"The bitter frosts with the sleet and rain Destroyed hath the green in every yerd." Chaucer.
3. A long piece of timber, as a rafter, etc. [Obs.]
4. A measure of length, equaling three feet, or thirty-six inches, being the standard of English and American measure.
5. The penis.
6. (Naut.) A long piece of timber, nearly cylindrical, tapering toward the ends, and designed to support and extend a square sail. A yard is usually hung by the center to the mast. See Illust. of Ship. Golden Yard, orYard and Ell (Astron.), a popular name of the three stars in the belt of Orion. — Under yard [ i. e., under the rod], under contract. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Yard, n. [OE. yard, yerd, AS. geard; akin to OFries. garda garden, OS. gardo garden, gard yard, D. gaard garden, G. garten, OHG. garto garden, gari inclosure, Icel. garðr yard, house, Sw. gård, Dan. gaard, Goth. gards a house, garda sheepfold, L. hortus garden, Gr. cho•rtos an inclosure. Cf. Court, Garden, Garth, Horticulture, Orchard.]
1. An inclosure; usually, a small inclosed place in front of, or around, a house or barn; as a court yard; a cow yard; a barn yard.
"A yard … inclosed all about with sticks In which she had a cock, hight chanticleer." Chaucer.
2. An inclosure within which any work or business is carried on; as a dock yard; a ship yard. Liberty of the yard, a liberty, granted to persons imprisoned for debt, of walking in the yard, or within any other limits prescribed by law, on their giving bond not to go beyond those limits. — Prison yard, an inclosure about a prison, or attached to it. — Yard grass (Bot.), a low-growing grass ( Eleusine Indica) having digitate spikes. It is common in dooryards, and like places, especially in the Southern United States. Called also crab grass. — Yard of land. See Yardland.

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

Yard, n. (Zoöl.) A place where moose or deer herd together in winter for pasture, protection, etc.

Yarn, n. [OE. yarn, &yogh;arn, AS. gearn; akin to D. garen, G., OHG., Icel., Sw., & Dan. garn; of uncertain origin. Cf. Cord.]
1. Spun wool; woolen thread; also thread of other material, as of cotton, flax, hemp, or silk; material spun and prepared for use in weaving, knitting, manufacturing sewing thread, or the like.
2. (Rope Making) One of the threads of which the strands of a rope are composed.
3. A story told by a sailor for the amusement of his companions; a story or tale; as to spin a yarn. [Colloq.]

Yarnen
Yarn´en, a. Made of yarn; consisting of yarn. [Obs.] "A pair of yarnen stocks." Turbervile.

Yarr, v. i. [OE. &yogh;arren.] To growl or snarl as a dog. [Obs.] Ainsworth.

Yataghan
Yat´a•ghan, n. [Turk. yataghan.] A long knife, or short saber, common among Mohammedan nations, usually having a double curve, sometimes nearly straight. [Written also ataghan, attaghan.] Chaucer.

Yaud, n. See Yawd. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

Yaul, n. (Naut.) See Yawl.

Yaulp, v. i. To yaup.

Yawl-rigged
Yawl´-rigged´, a. (Naut.) 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.

Yaws, n. [African yaw a raspberry.] (Med.) 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 frambœsia, pian, verrugas, and crab-yaws.