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A growing assortment of words and definitions used in the Early Modern era. See the Guide for more information.
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Y-

A prefix (Old English and German ge-, earlier gi-; Teutonic ga) . It had various uses, the most frequent of which was to form the past tense of verbs. Most of these died in the 15th century. From the mid-16th century poets attempting archaic effects added the prefix y, often without adding any meaning; thus yshrilled (Edmund Spenser); ysprout, ysteer; star-ypointing ( John Milton). The most common of the forms, still lingering in poetic use, is yclept, named; see clepe. Often the y was changed to i, as in iclosed, igranted, ipassed. The form is common in Chaucer and Lydgate, but almost completely unused by Gower. Among favorites of later poets are ybent, ybound, ybrought, yclad, ydamned, ydight, ydrad, ywrought. Also yblent, (1) blinded; (2) mingled, confused, blurred, ybrent, burned, ycore, chosen, hence choice, comely, ycoroned, ycronet, crowned, ycorven, carved, ydodded, shorn, ydought, grown strong, ydreght, drawn, yfere (noun) a companion; (adverb) in company, together -- used frequently as a tag in verse, as in Spenser's THE FAERIE QUEENE (1590): O goodly golden chains, wherewith yfere The virtues linked are in lovely wise. yfet, brought, fetched, acquired, yflawe, flayed, yflemed, put to flight; exiled, yfong, taken, seized; received, ygilt, sinned; gilded; Thomas Nashe (in MARTIN'S MONTHS MINDE, 1589): My hope once was my old shoes should be stitcht, My thumbs ygilt, they were before bepitcht. yglent, made radiant, ygyved, fettered, yhabited, clothed, yhaded, yhoded, consecrated, ordained, yhald, yielded. yheedid, headed, yheled, (1) healed; (2) covered, concealed; (3) also yeled, anointed, yhevid, grieved, yhillid, flayed. yholpe(n), helped, yhonge, hanged. yhote(n), called, etc. (from hight). ykremyd, crumbled, ykitt, ykyt, cut. yleof, mutually beloved; hence, a pair of lovers. ylogged, lodged, ymered, purified, ymet, dreamt; met. ynem(p)ned, named. ynome (n) , ynume, taken, ypitte, put. yrerd, raised, yschad, shed, ysesid, yseysed, seized, ysessed, ceased, ysinwed, sinned. yso(c)ht, sought, yteyd, tied, ythrungin, hurled, ytwynned, separated, yvenkessyd, yvenquyst, vanquished, ywaged, hired. ywhyngged, winged, ywived, married. yworewid, worried, ywroken, avenged; punished. There are many more, but most are readily recognized by dropping the y.

Yahoo

A degraded or bestial person. From the name invented by Jonathan Swift in GULLIVER'S TRAVELS (1726) , for a species of brute in the form of a man, slaves of the noble race of houyhnhnm, an intelligent tribe of the horse. Used frequently since; also as a verb; Yates in THE ROCK AHEAD (1868) spoke of a dam low-bred lot, yahooin' all over the place.

Yale

A fabulous beast with horns and tusks. Used from the 15th century; a figure in heraldry. Also gaill, gale, jall, jail, yeale, eale. Yale was also an old form of ale.

Yam

A rest-house on a post route. From the Russian; used from the 16th century. The ASIATIC ANNUAL REGISTER of 1800 said: Each night they reached a yam, and each week a city. Hence yamstchik (yamshik, yamsheek) , a driver of a post-horse.

Yard

The still current yard meaning enclosure is Old Saxon gard (whence also garden) , as in vineyard and orchard; Latin hortus, garden; related to court. There was another yard, probably related to Latin hasta, spear, meaning a stick, a slender shoot of a tree. This survives in sailyard, and the reduplicating yardstick. Other senses this yard had include: a twig; hence, a trifle, a thing of no value. A means of punishment; hence, punishment, the rod. From the use of a rod in measuring land, a yard, an area of a quarter of an acre; a measure of length: (9th to 15th century) 16 1/2 feet; (14th century and now standard) 3 feet. By optimistic transfer, the phallus (as also Latin virga, rod); William Shakespeare in LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST (1588) has one of his frequent puns: Armado: I do adore thy sweet Grace's slipper. Boyet (aside to Dumain): Loves her by the foot. Dumain (aside to Boyet): He may not by the yard.

Yare

Ready, prepared. Also as an adverb, quickly, nimbly. The adverb was sometimes used as an exclamation, as in William Shakespeare's ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (1606) and THE TEMPEST, or (full yare) as a rhyming tag -- thus in the ballad of GUY WARWICK (1400): And wyth hys fyst he smote me sore: Sythen he flew awey full yore. The adjective was common from BEOWULF into the 19th century, especially as a sea term, meaning responding readily to the helm, easily manageable; thus Shakespeare (also in ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA): Their shippes are yare, yours heavy.

Yark

To make ready, prepare. A verbal form of yare, q.v. Also, to put in position. To yark to, shut; yark up, open. By extension, to ordain, appoint; grant, bestow.

Yaud

A mare, especially an old, worn-out mare. Also yawde, yode, yade; related to jade. Hence, a strumpet -- thus yaudson, yaldson, son of a whore, a 15th and 16th century term of abuse. Also yaudswiver (16th century), one that carnally knows a mare.

Yclad

See y-. Edmund Spenser has, in THE SHEPHERD'S CALENDAR (1579; APRIL), the charming line to "faire Elisa": yclad in scarlet, like a maiden queene.

Yeme

To care for, take notice of, consider; look attentively (upon); to take care of, guard, protect; to have charge of, govern, manage, control; to observe (a command, a holiday). Also the noun yeme, care. Hence in yeme, in one's care. To nim yeme, take yeme, take note, give heed, etc. Hence yemeless, careless, negligent; yemelest, negligence; yemelich, full of care, anxious; yemer, a keeper, guardian, ruler. The forms were common from the 8th to the 15th century. William Dunbar in a poem of 1520 speaks of a guardian dispoilit of the tresur that he yemit. There was also a form yemsel (yhemsale, yemseill), care, custody, used from the 12th to the 15th century.

Yeoman

Originally, a servant of superior rank, in a royal or noble household. Also yeman, ymman, probably related to youngman, the youth of a noble house trained as a page or a yeoman. Hence, to do yeoman service, to do excellent and faithful work (often with implication that the assignment was onerous) . The body-guard of the ruler of England (first archers, appointed when Henry VII was crowned; 1485) consists of The Yeomen of the Guard; these survived in London and the title of a Gilbert and Sullivan play (1888). By extension (15th to 17th century), a landholder under the rank of a gentleman; hence, in general, a sturdy and respected commoner. John Skelton in MAGNYFYCENCE (1520) pictured life's vicissitudes: To day hote, to morowe outrageous colde; to day a yoman, to morowe made a page.

Yepsen

The cupping of the hands; also, as much as the cupped hands will hold. Also yaspen, ipson, yespe, espin, and the like. Used from the 14th century, lingering beyond the 16th in dialects. Old English geap, open, spacious, curved; the Old Teuton root is gaup, Old Norse gaupn, hollow of the cupped hands, whence also English gowpen, with the same meaning as yepsen.

Yerk

(1) To draw stitches tight; to bind tightly. Revived by Walter Scott in THE LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL (1805) and THE HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN (1818): His hands and feet are yerked as tight as cords can be drawn. Hence, to crack a whip; to strike, to beat; hence, to rouse, to excite. Edmund Spenser; John Skelton; Thomas Dekker (OTHELLO, 1604): Nine, or ten times I had thought t'have yerk'd him here under the ribbes. BLACKWOOD'S EDINBURGH MAGAZINE in 1833 declared: We should yerk the yokel of a Yankee with the knout. Hence also, to jerk; to carp (at); to jerk (out) words, strike up a song; to compose rapidly, yerk up a book; to go at something eagerly, pitch into. The word was first used (1450) as a term in bootmaking, of the twitch (jerk) at the end of drawing through the thread; naturally it is used in William Shakespeare's THE SHOEMAKER'S HOLIDAY (1600) . Shakespeare used it (again) in HENRY V (1599) of wounded steeds that with wild rage Yerke out their armed heeles at their dead masters.

Yestreen

Yesterday evening. Corrupted into such forms as the strene, the straine, ystrewine, yhistrewyn, yistrevyn. The ballad FAIR ELLEN (in Child's collection, 1800) has: I dreamed a dream san the straine. Walter Scott revived yestreen, which had never been wholly abandoned by nostalgic poets.

Yesty

A variant of yeasty, in the sense of frothy, insubstantial; or foamy, like troubled waters. William Shakespeare uses it in HAMLET (V ii 199) and in MACBETH 1605): Though the yesty waves Confound and swallow navigation up.

Yfere

See y-. Note that yferre was also a 17th century pseudo-archaism for afar. For an instance of its use, see depeint.

Yglesome

Ugly. An early opposite to handsome. Not in the O.E.D, Cp. ugsome. Hoby in his translation (1561) of Castiglione's THE COURTIER said that Beawtie is a face pleasant, meerie, comelye, and to be desired for goodnesse, and Foulness a face dark, yglesome, unpleasant, and to be shonned for yll.

Ynkehorne

See inkhorn. Emong al other lessons, said Thomas Wilson1 in THE ARTE OF RHETORIQUE (1553), this should first be learned, that we never affect any straunge ynkehorne termes, but so speak as is commonly received, neither sekyng to be over fine, nor yet livyng over carelesse.

Yode

Went. The old past tense of go. Also yead, yede. Cp. sigalder. The word was mistakenly used as a present -- yode, yede, to go, in the 16th century. Walter Scott revived the form, in MARMION (1808): In other pace than forth he yode, Returned Lord Marmion.
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