yager 
states, recruited largely from foresters, etc. ; 
now, a member of certain special battalions or 
corps of infantry or cavalry, generally organ- 
ized as riflemen. — 2, Same B.sjager. 
yagger (yag'er), n. [< D.Jager^ a huntsman, < 
jageHf hunt: see yacht.'] A ranger about the 
country; a traveling peddler. [Shetland Isl- 
ands.] 
I would take the lad for a yagger, but he has rather 
ower good havings, and he has du pack. Scott, Pirate, v. 
yaguanmdi (yag-wa-run'di), n. [Also jagua- 
rundif yaguarondi ; fc5. Amer. : see jaguar.'] A 
wild cat of Mexico and Central and South 
America, Felis Jagunrundi. This cat is nearly as 
large as the oct-lot, but entirely without spots, in which re- 
spect, as well aa in its slender fonn, it resembles the eyra, 
and has thus a musteline rather than a feline aspect. The 
tail is as long as the iKHly exclusive of the head and neck. 
The general c«)lor is a uuifurui giizzleil brownish-gray, the 
individual hairs ^>eing annulated and tipped with blackish ; 
kittens are more rufous brown. The yap;uarundi ranges 
northward nearly or quite through Mexico, and of late 
years has generally been included among the mammals of 
the United States. 
yah (yii), inter]. An interjection of disgust. 
X ahoo (ya-h5' ), «. [A made name, prob. meant 
to suggest disgust; ef. yah, an interj. of dis- 
gust.] 1, Anamegivenby Swift, in "Gulliver's 
Travels,'* to a feigned race of brutes having the 
form of man and all his degrading passions. 
They are placed in contrast with the Houyhnlmms, or 
horses endowed with reason, the whole being dtaigned as 
a satire un the human race. 
He Ithe Houyhnhnm] was extremely curious to know 
*' from what part of the country I came, and how I was 
taught to imitate a rational creature ; t>ecause the Yahoos 
(whom he saw I exactly resemliled in my head, hands, and 
face, that were only visible), with some appearance of cun- 
ning, and the strongest disposition to mischief, were ob- 
served to be the most unteachable of all brutes." 
Sioift, Gulliver's Travels, iv. 3. 
Hence — 2. {]. c] A rough, brutal, uncouth 
character. 
A yahoo of a stable-boy. 
Gravety Spiritual Quixote, iv. 10. (Davies.) 
"What sort of fellow is he? . . . A Yahoo, I suppose." 
"Not at all. He is a capital fellow, — a perfect gentle- 
man." H, Kingsleg, Ravensboe, iv. 
3. [/. c] A greenhorn; a back-country lout. 
Bartlett. [Southwestern U. S.] 
Yahveh (ya-va'), w. Same as Jehovah. 
Yahvist (ya'vist), n. Same as Jehovist. 
Yahvistic (ya-vis'tik), a. Same as Jehovistic. 
yaip, V' »* Same as yattp^. 
yak (yak), n. [< Tibetan gyak.] The wild ox of 
Tibet, PoephaguH grunniens, or any of its do- 
mesticated varieties ; the grunting ox. The yak 
1b a remarkable instance of tht* iievelopment of the pelage 
under climatic intlnences. The modification is like that 
seen in the tnusk-ox of arctic regions, Ovibo9 woschatug, 
though altitude has done for the yak what has resulted 
from latitude in the case of the musk-ox. The Iwdy is 
cover<Ml with very long hair hanging from the shoulders, 
sides, and hips nearly to the ground, and the tail bears a 
heavy brush of long hairs. The wild animal, which in- 
habiU the mountains of Tibet alK)ut the snow-line and 
descemis into the valleys In winter, is of a blackish color; 
the back is hunipe<l ; and the general form is not unlike 
that of the bison, tliough the long hair gives the animal a 
different appearance. The actual relationships of the yak 
are with the humped Asiatic cattle of which the zebu is 
the best-known domesticated stock. The yak is of great 
economic Importance to tlie Tibetans, and lias been do- 
mesticated, lu this state it sports in many color-varia- 
tions, like other cattle. It is used as a l>east of burden, 
makes excellent beef, and yields rich milk and butter ; the 
long silky hair is spun and woven for many fabrics. The 
tails when mounted fiirnisti the fly-snappers or cbowries 
nmch used in India, and they are also dyed in various 
Yak ^Poiphagns zrunniens). 
colors as decorations and ceremonial insignia. The ele- 
phant-hea<led god tianesa is usually represented as flour- 
Uhing the chowry with his trunk over the heads of va- 
rious personages of the Hindu pantheon. Yaks have 
often l)een taken to Europe, where they are kept in me- 
nageries, and have repeatetlly t>een bred in conflnenient. 
The yak crosses easily with some other cattle, producing 
various mixed breeds. See als'jcut under Artiodactj/la.— 
Yak laC6, a heavy ancl rather coarse lace mad«t from the 
silky hair of the yak : at one time much used for trim- 
ming outer garments. 
yakin (ya'kin), n. A large Himalayan antelope, 
Budorcas taacicolor, inhabiting higlx raountain- 
7007 
ranges. The relationships of the yakin are with the 
rupicaprine and nemorhediiie antelopes, as the European 
chamois, the Asiatic gorals, and the American Rocky 
Mountain goat 
yakopu (yak'o-p6), «. A weapon like the kut- 
tar, used by the people of Java and Sumatra. 
yaksha (yak'sha), ». [Skt.] In Hindu myth.^ 
one of a class oi demigods "who attend Kuvera, 
the god of riches, and guard his treasures. 
Yakut (ya-kof), n. A member of a people of 
Turkish or mixed Turkish origin, dwelling in 
Siberia in the neighborhood of the Lena. 
yald^ (yald), a. Same asyeWi. 
yald'-^, yauld (yald), a. [Prob. var. of *yc/f/, < 
Icel. gildr = Sw. Dan, gildj stout, brawny, of 
full size.] Supple ; active ; athletic, [Scotch.] 
Bein' yald and stout, he wheelit about, 
And kluve his beid in twaine. 
Hogg, Mountain Bard, p. 43. iJamieson.) 
Yale lock. See lock'^. 
yallow fyal'o), a, A dialectal variant of yel- 
low. George Eliot^ Silas Marner, xi. 
yam (yam), n. [= F. igname, < Sp. ignamay ig- 
naine, iflame^ Uame = Fg.itihameiNh. inhame), 
< African (in Pg. rendering) inhame, yam. The 
Malay name is «6i, Javanese uici^ E. Ind. oehis 
(Miilier), whence G. obis-icurzely yam.] 1. A 
tuberous root of a plant of the genus Diosco- 
rea, particularly if belonging to one of numer- 
ous species cultivated for their esculent roots; 
also, such a plant itself. The plant is commonly 
a slender twining high-climbing vine, in some species 
prickly; the root is fleshy, often very large, sometimes a 
shapeless mass, sometimes long and cylindraceous, vary- 
ing in color from white through purple to nearly black. 
The yam is propagated by cuttings from the root, or also 
in some species by axillary bulblets. The root contains 
a larye amount of starch, sometimes 25 percent., is hence 
highly nutritious, and in tropical lands largely takes the 
place of the potato of temperate climates. It lacks, how- 
ever, the dry mealiness of the potato, and is on the whole 
rather coarse, and not as a rule highly esteemed by people 
of European races. It is cooked by baking or boiling, and 
is In the West Indies sometimes converted into a meal used 
for making cakes and puddings. D. saliva is an ordinary 
species (tlie hoi of the Uawaiians) with unarmed stem and 
an acrid root which requires soaking before boiling; it is 
a profitable source of starch. D. alata, the red or white 
yam, the uvi of the 
Fiji Islands, has a 
winged, not prickly 
stem, supported in 
culture by reeds; its 
tubers attain some- 
times a length of 8 
feet and a weight of 
KXt pounds. D. acu- 
leata, the kawai of the 
Fijis, has prickly stems 
not requiring support. 
D. Batatas, the Chinese 
or Japanese yam, is 
hardy in temperatti 
climates, and excited 
considerable interest 
in Europe and Amer- 
ica, at the time of the 
potato-rot, as a possi- 
ble substitute for that 
crop. Tlie tuber is 
pure-white within, of 
a flaky consistency, 
and of a taste agree- 
able to many. It grows 
3 feet deep, however, 
enlarging somewhat 
toward the bottom, 
hence is very difficult 
t') gather. D. t<ativa 
also Is hardy in the southem United States, but the true 
yam is there little cultivated. (See def. 2.) These species 
present many varieties, and various other species are more 
or less cultivated. 
The negro yams are a yearly crop, but the white yajm 
will last iTi the ground for several years. 
T. Roughley, Jamaica Planter's Guide (1823), p. 317. 
2, By transference, a variety of the sweet-po- 
tato. [Southern U. S.] 
De yam will grow, de cotton blow. 
We'll hab de rice an' corn. 
Whittier, Song of tlie Negro Boatmen. 
3. Any plant of the or &er DioscoreaccfE, Lind- 
ley Chinese yam. See def. i.— Common or culti- 
vated yam, Dioscnrea ^a/tt'rt.— Japanese yam. See def. 
1, and cut under /)io«corea.— Kawal yam. See def. 1.^ 
Ooyala yam, Dioscorea tcinentosn, of the East Indies.— 
Port Monlz yam. See ra/ntw.— Red yam. See def. 1. 
— Tlvoll yam. Dioscorea miwmularia, of India and the 
Malayan and Paeitlc islands. — Uvl yam. See def. 1.— 
White yam. See def. l.— Wild yam, any native species 
of yam. Specifically ~ (a) The wild yam-root, Dioscorea 
villom, of North America, a delicate and pretty twining 
vine, extending north to Canada. The root Is esteemed by 
eclectics a cure for bilious colic, and is used by the south- 
ern negroes against rheumatism : hence called colic-root 
and rkeuwatisjn-root. (b) See Ra a nia. — Winged yaxa, 
Dioscorea alata. — Yaja family, the jdant-order Diosco- 
rcacea. 
Tama (yam'ii), ». [Skt. Tama, prob. lit. 'the 
twin.n ' In earlif Hindu myth., the first mortal, 
son of the sun ( Vivasvant) and progenitor of the 
human race, who went first to the other world, 
Branch of Female Plant of Yarn 
{Diosforea alatas. 
yank 
and ruled as king of those who followed him 
thither; later, the god of departed spirits and 
the appointed judge and punisher of the dead. 
Ho is in modern Hindu art generally represented as 
crowned and seated on a buHalo, which he guides hy the 
horns. He is four-armed, and of austere countenance. In 
one liand lie holds a mace, in another a nuose which is 
used to draw out of the bodies of men the souls which 
are doomed to ap^iear before bis judgment-seat. His 
garments are of the color of fire; his skin is of a bluish 
green. 
yamadou (yam'a-do), n. An oil obtained from 
the tallow-nutmeg, Myristica scbifera. See nut- 
meg, 2. 
yama-mai (yam 'a -mi'), «. [NL. (GuSrin- 
M^nSville, 1861), < Jap. yama-mai, lit. 'worm of 
the mountains.'] A large bombycid moth, 
whose larva feeds on the oak Quercus scrrata in 
Japan, and furnishes silk of excellent quality 
which has long been utilized in the manufac- 
ture of the heavier native silk fabrics. The worm 
has been reared In Europe and in the United States, but 
lias not been commercially successful in those countries. 
See gilhworin, 1. 
yam-bean (yam'ben), n. A leguminous plant, 
I'achyrrUizus tuberosiis and P. angulatus, widely 
cultivated in the tropics for its pods, which are 
used as a vegetable, and for its tubers, which 
are edible cooked when young, and furnish in 
large quantity a starch said to be fully equal to 
arrowroot. The tubers are borne at intervals nlong the 
cord-like roots. P. tuberosus has often been inclutled in 
P. angulatus, but is for cultural purposes at least distinct, 
having a much larger pod free from irritating hairs. In 
the Fiji Islands P. anf/ulatus is called yaka or wa yaka; 
in English it has been distinguished from P. tuberosus as 
the short-podded yam-bean. 
yammer (yam'er), v. i. [Also yavnicr. yamcr; 
< ME. samiiren, gomercn, geomcren,< AS. geome- 
rian (= OHG. jdmaron, MHG. jdmercn, G. jam- 
mem), lament, groan, < gedmor, sad, mournful 
(= OS.jdmar = OEG. jdmar, sad, > OHG. jdmar, 
^IHG. jdmor, G. jammer, lamentation, misery).] 
1. To lament; wail; shriek; yell; cry aloud; 
whimper loudly; whine. [Prov. Eng. and 
Scotch.] 
As for the White Maiden of Avenel, she is seen to yam- 
mer and wail before ony o' 'em dies. Scott, Monastery, iv. 
"The child is doing as well as possible," said Miss 
Grizzy; "To be sure it does ya-mmer constantly — that 
can't Le denied." 3/i-vs Ferriei; Marriage, xviii, 
2. To yearn ; desire. [Prov. Eng.] 
I yammer to hear how things turned eawt. 
Tim Bvbbin, in Mackay's Lost Beauties of the Eng. Lang. 
yammering (yam'er-ing), n. [Also yaumeritig ; 
verbal u. of yammer, v.] A crying, whining, or 
grumbling. [Prov. Eng. and Scotch.] 
They ill-thrawn folk . . . would tear the congregation 
to pieces wi' tlieir bickerings and yaumeriims. 
W. Black, In Far Lochaber, ix, 
yammerly (yam'er-li), adv. [< ME. ^amerly, 
gomerly, < AS. "geomorlicc, < geomorlic, lament- 
able, < (/crf»««', sad : see »/a»i«(er, )).] Piteously. 
Gawayiie. 
yamp (yamp), n. [N. Amer. Ind.] An umbellif- 
erous plant. Varum (luirdncri, found from Cal- 
ifornia to Wyoming and Washington ; doubt- 
less, also. ('. Kellogii, of central California. 
These plants have fascicled tuberous roots, 
which are an important food of the Indians. 
yamph (yamf), V. i. [Cf. yaff, yqA.] To bark 
continuously. Halliacll. [Prov. Eng.] 
yamun (yii'mun), n. [Chinese, < ya, the mar- 
quee of a general, -I- muu, a two-leaved door, a 
gate.] The oiHcial and private residence of a 
Chinese mandarin who holds a seal; the place 
where a mandarin transacts the business of 
the region or department under his care, and 
where he lives; a mandarin's office, court, resi- 
dence, etc. 
The three yamuns at our feet, with their quaint towers, 
grand old trees, flags, and the broad Pearl Kiver on the 
other side of the city, ai-e tlie only elements of positive 
beauty in the landscape. 
Lady Brassey, Voyage of Sunbeam, II. xxii. 
Tsung li yamun, the bureau or department of the Chi- 
nese government which attends to foreign affairs ; the 
Chinese "Fi»reign Office." It was established in 18(0, is 
composed of eleven members, ami forms the channel of 
communication between the foreign ministers and the 
throne. Giles, 
yang (yang), c. i. [Imitative.] To cry as the 
wild goose; honk. 
yang (yang), «. [< yang, v.] The cry of the 
wild goose ; a honk. 
yang-kin (yang'ken'), n. [Chinese.] A Chi- 
nese dulcimer. 
yankl (yangk). v. [Perhaps a nasalized form 
of yach; found in sense of 'talk fast', prob. orig. 
move quickly, < Sw. dial. ./(/A/.'rt, rove about, a 
secondary form of Icel. jagri, move about, = 
Svf. jaga'=:Da.n. jage, hunt, chase, hurry, =D. 
