English word origin

Etymology of yakka

From Yagara yaga (“work”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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 ↗

verb

To work.

noun

Work.

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

From Yagara yaga (“work”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionyagayxg

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yxg",
        "3": "yaga",
        "4": "",
        "5": "work"
      },
      "expansion": "Yagara yaga (“work”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "yaga",
      "yaga#Yagara"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To work."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
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    },
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      "glosses": [
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      ],
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        "uncountable"
      ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

a Sikh living in the Sikh diaspora, especially one from the West

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

From Punjabi ਯੱਕਾ (yakkā), usually referring to an ace (a type of playing card) or a horse-drawn cart, but can also be translated into the English expletive fuck. However, the slang usage of the term is said to be a corruption of Yankee.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionਯੱਕਾpa

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pa",
        "3": "ਯੱਕਾ"
      },
      "expansion": "Punjabi ਯੱਕਾ (yakkā)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ਯੱਕਾ",
      "ਯੱਕਾ#Punjabi"
    ],
    [
      "ace",
      "ace"
    ],
    [
      "fuck",
      "fuck#English"
    ],
    [
      "Yankee",
      "Yankee#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "a Sikh living in the Sikh diaspora, especially one from the West"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "India",
        "North",
        "South-Asia",
        "derogatory",
        "slang",
        "sometimes"
      ],
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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 yakka →

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-eWFra2E