yank
English
editEtymology 1
editAttested since 1822; from Scots yank. Unknown origin.
Pronunciation
editNoun
edityank (plural yanks)
- A sudden, vigorous pull (sometimes defined as mass times jerk, or rate of change of force).
- He unjammed the rope with a short yank.
- (slang) A masturbation session.
- 2012, Bonnie Dee, Summer Devon, Serious Play, page 81:
- He rested his hand on his bare chest, an innocent enough spot, but soon it drifted of its own accord down his stomach to slide beneath the waistband of his briefs. Fine. A quick yank would relieve the sexual tension that simmered in him.
Synonyms
editTranslations
editA sudden, vigorous pull
|
Verb
edityank (third-person singular simple present yanks, present participle yanking, simple past and past participle yanked)
- (transitive) To pull (something) with a quick, strong action.
- 2015 December, Elizabeth Royte, “Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them.”, in National Geographic[1], archived from the original on 13 December 2015:
- Now a white-backed rams its head down the wildebeest’s throat and yanks out an eight-inch length of trachea, ribbed like a vacuum hose.
- 2016 October, Scott Dadich, quoting Barack Obama, “Barack Obama Talks AI, Robo Cars, and the Future of the World”, in Wired[2], →ISSN:
- [Regarding risks of AI] And you just have to have somebody close to the power cord. [Laughs.][sic] Right when you see it about to happen, you gotta yank that electricity out of the wall, man.
- (transitive, informal) To remove from distribution.
- They yanked the product as soon as they learned it was unsafe.
Synonyms
editDerived terms
editTranslations
editto pull something with a quick, strong action
|
to remove from distribution
References
edit- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “yank”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Etymology 2
editNoun
edityank (plural yanks)
- (often derogatory) Alternative letter-case form of Yank (“Yankee”).
Scots
editEtymology
editUnknown; likely imitative. Compare whang (“a blow”).
Noun
edityank (plural yanks)
- a sudden tug, a jerk, a yank
- a blow, a slap
- 1833, James Hogg, The Brownie of Bodsbeck[3], page 51:
- I took up my neive an’ gae him a yank on the haffat till I gart his bit brass cap rattle against the wa’.
- I raised my fist and gave him a blow on the temple that made his little brass cap rattle against the wall.
Verb
edityank (third-person singular simple present yanks, present participle yankin, simple past yankt, past participle yankt)
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