*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of yak

Borrowed from Tibetan གཡག (g.yag). See there for more.

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

An ox-like mammal native to the Himalayas, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Tibet with dark, long, and silky hair, a horse-like tail, and a full, bushy mane.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Tibetan གཡག (g.yag). See there for more.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "bo:གཡག<id:yak>",
        "id": "mammal"
      },
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    },
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        "3": "གཡག"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Tibetan གཡག (g.yag)"
    },
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        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "bo:གཡག<id:yak>",
        "id": "mammal"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "གཡག",
      "གཡག#Tibetan"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A talk, particular an informal talk; chattering; gossip. · A laugh. · Vomit.

verb

To talk, particularly informally but persistently; to chatter or prattle. · To vomit, usually as a result of excessive alcohol consumption.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Apparently an onomatopoeia.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "etymid",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "talk"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "onomatopoeia"
      },
      "expansion": "onomatopoeia"
    },
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      "name": "onomatopoeic",
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        "title": "onomatopoeia"
      },
      "expansion": "onomatopoeia"
    }
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      "glosses": [
        "A talk, particular an informal talk; chattering; gossip.",
        "A laugh.",
        "Vomit."
      ],
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        "To vomit, usually as a result of excessive alcohol consumption."
      ],
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        "intransitive",
        "slang"
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

a traditional Korean flute used in court music

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Korean 약 (yak).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention약ko
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ko",
        "3": "약"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Korean 약 (yak)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "약",
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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      "pos": "noun",
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      ],
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A kayak. · cognac. · A yakuza member.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Shortening of various unrelated words.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A kayak.",
        "cognac.",
        "A yakuza member."
      ],
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        "slang",
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      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for yak →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-eWFr