yoke
noun/jəʊk/
/jəʊk/
- [countable] a long piece of wood that is fastened across the necks of two animals, especially oxen, so that they can pull heavy loads
- [singular] (literary or formal) rough treatment or something that limits your freedom and makes your life very difficult to bear
- the yoke of imperialism
- Young people often chafe under the yoke of parental control.
- [countable] a piece of wood that is shaped to fit across a person’s shoulders so that they can carry two equal loads
- [countable] a part of a dress, skirt, etc. that fits around the shoulders or hips and from which the rest of the cloth hangs
Word OriginOld English geoc (noun), geocian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch juk, German Joch, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin jugum and Greek zugon, also by Latin jungere ‘to join’.
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yoke