*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of yar

From Middle English ȝaren, ȝurren, ȝeorren, from Old English ġeorran, ġirran, gyrran (“to sound, chatter, grunt, creak, grate”), from Proto-West Germanic *gerran (“to creak”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to make a

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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 snarl; to gnar. · To growl, especially like a dog; quarrel; to be captious or troublesome.

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

From Middle English ȝaren, ȝurren, ȝeorren, from Old English ġeorran, ġirran, gyrran (“to sound, chatter, grunt, creak, grate”), from Proto-West Germanic *gerran (“to creak”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to make a noise, rattle, gurgle, grumble”). Cognate with Scots yarr, yirr (“to snarl, growl, quarrel, cause trouble”), Middle High German girren (“to roar, cry, rattle, chatter”).

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ȝaren, ȝurren, ȝeorren"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ȝaren, ȝurren, ȝeorren"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ġeorran, ġirran, gyrran",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to sound, chatter, grunt, creak, grate"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġeorran, ġirran, gyrran (“to sound, chatter, grunt, creak, grate”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*gerran",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to creak"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *gerran (“to creak”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*gʰer-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to make a noise, rattle, gurgle, grumble"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to make a noise, rattle, gurgle, grumble”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "yarr"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots yarr"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmh",
        "2": "girren",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to roar, cry, rattle, chatter"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German girren (“to roar, cry, rattle, chatter”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ȝaren",
      "ȝaren#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ȝurren",
      "ȝurren#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ȝeorren",
      "ȝeorren#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġeorran",
      "georran#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġirran",
      "girran#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "gyrran",
      "gyrran#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*gerran",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/gerran"
    ],
    [
      "*gʰer-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gʰer-"
    ],
    [
      "yarr",
      "yarr#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "yirr",
      "yirr#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "girren",
      "girren#Middle_High_German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To snarl; to gnar.",
        "To growl, especially like a dog; quarrel; to be captious or troublesome."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "Scotland"
      ],
      "recordId": "b20e57325159b83bb98a615a9d92663dd1e9f15d8a1689670e4a3a728c419e3e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4339e4272c31c2c9d4d34d3d1cedb694b7bf525f726b4bf85e25bb9acade30f0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 427208
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Sour; brackish.

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

Uncertain.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain"
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Sour; brackish."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "16c50f19bd9a9708c305f7c9af052af39b642aaeb6a2fc8dc8e7aa262754916e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "eb4217d90b2c8088c0d8b00c52f2a65c4a96d4c6cabdc9e33b05ac87eddd94d1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 427209
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
adj

Quick and agile; easy to hand, reef and steer.

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

From Middle English yar, ȝar, variants of yare, ȝare, from Old English ġearu (“ready”), from Proto-West Germanic *garu, from Proto-Germanic *garwaz.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionyarenm
  • Inherited-form mentionġearuang
  • Inherited-form mention*garugmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*garwazgem-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "yar"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English yar"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ġearu",
        "4": "",
        "5": "ready"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġearu (“ready”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*garu"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *garu"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*garwaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *garwaz"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "yar",
      "yar#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ȝar",
      "ȝar#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "yare",
      "yare#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ȝare",
      "ȝare#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġearu",
      "gearu#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*garu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/garu"
    ],
    [
      "*garwaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/garwaz"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Quick and agile; easy to hand, reef and steer."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "211689384d975aad0e36f9736184519139c10dccf20b3a7774bc251d880e7eba",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b68b2487bef6808f8a63c892153f4c07b2a6b6b381e8c486be3c6fee13e86afe",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 427210
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 yar →

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-eWFy