Where does “Yank” come from?
Yank is a back-formation from Yankee, which derives from Dutch Janke, a diminutive of the name Jan.
Yank (English): A Yankee, a Northerner: someone from the Northern...
Definitions
- A Yankee, a Northerner: someone from the Northern...
Ancestry of “Yank”, step by step
Yank traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English yankee
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | yankee | A headsail resembling a genoa or a jib but with a... |
| 2 | Dutch | Janke | Little John |
| 3 | Dutch | Jan | — |
| 4 | Norwegian Bokmål | Johannes | John; the name of several figures in the New Testament |
| 5 | Icelandic | Jóhannes | — |
| 6 | Latin | Iōhannēs | — |
| 7 | Latin | Iōannēs | John biblical persons |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | Ἰωάννης | — |
| 9 | Hebrew | יוחנן | Yahweh is gracious |
| 10 | Hebrew | חנון | gracious, merciful, compassionate; passive... |
| 11 | Moroccan Arabic | خنونة | mucus, snot |
| 12 | Arabic | خُنَّة | — |
via Scots yank
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scots | yank | a sudden tug, a jerk, a yank; a blow, a slap; to... |