Where does “Yankee cheese” come from?

Yankee cheese (English) comes from English yankee, from Dutch Janke, from Dutch Jan, from Norwegian Bokmål Johannes, from Icelandic Jóhannes, from Latin Iōhannēs, from Latin Iōannēs, from Ancient Greek Ἰωάννης.

Yankee cheese (English): An early form of cheese made by New Englanders, resembling cheddar

Definitions

  1. An early form of cheese made by New Englanders, resembling cheddar

Ancestry of “Yankee cheese”, step by step

Yankee cheese traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English yankee

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishyankeeA headsail resembling a genoa or a jib but with a...
2DutchJankeLittle John
3DutchJan—
4Norwegian BokmålJohannesJohn; the name of several figures in the New Testament
5IcelandicJóhannes—
6LatinIōhannēs—
7LatinIōannēsJohn biblical persons
8Ancient GreekἸωάννης—
9HebrewיוחנןYahweh is gracious
10Hebrewחנוןgracious, merciful, compassionate; passive...
11Moroccan Arabicخنونةmucus, snot
12Arabicخُنَّة—

via English cheese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcheeseA dairy product made from curdled or cultured...
2EnglishcheesyOverdramatic, excessively emotional or clichéd,...
3Middle Englishchesy—
Every word from Arabic خُنَّة →Every word from Moroccan Arabic خنونة →Every word from Hebrew חנון →