WordGarden.ioyak
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /jˈæk/
US
- /ˈjæk/
Meanings
Noun
a long-haired bovine native to the Tibetan plateau, often kept for milk, meat, or carrying loads
Verb
to talk at length, often idly or noisily
Beyond the definition
A yak is a long-haired wild or domestic ox that lives in the high mountains and plateaus of Central Asia, especially around Tibet and the Himalayas. It is built for cold, thin air and is important to many local communities, providing milk, meat, wool, and help with carrying loads.
In informal English, "yak" can also mean to talk for a long time, often in a noisy or unimportant way. You might say someone was "yakking" on the phone for hours. Most of the time, though, the word refers to the animal.
The word "yak" usually refers to a large, long-haired ox native to the highlands of Central Asia, especially the Tibetan Plateau and nearby Himalayan regions. It can refer to both wild and domesticated animals. With their thick coats, strong bodies, and ability to live in very cold places with thin air, these animals are well suited to life far above sea level.
For many people in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, and nearby areas, yaks are deeply important in daily life. They can carry heavy loads across rough mountain land, and they provide milk, meat, hair, and wool. Even their dung has long been used as fuel in places where wood is scarce. Because of this, they are not just animals of the mountains but a central part of local life and work.
In informal English, "yak" can also be used as a verb meaning to talk a lot, especially in a way that sounds annoying, noisy, or unimportant. A person who keeps chatting without stopping might be described as yakking. This sense is much less formal than the animal meaning, but it is still common in everyday speech. So the word can point either to a tough mountain animal or to the act of talking on and on.
Examples
- 1
Mountain animal
We saw a yak standing beside the road on our way through the mountains.
- 2
Pack animals
In some villages, people use yaks to carry heavy goods across narrow mountain paths.
- 3
Wool
The blanket is made from soft yak wool.
- 4
Informal conversation
They sat by the fire yakking for hours instead of getting ready to leave.
- Usage
yak can informally mean talk a lot
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Unwanted topic
He kept yakking about his new car all through dinner.
- Patternyak about + topic
talk about it a lot, often more than people want
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- yaknounverb
Forms
- yakspluralnounverb
- yakking-ing formverbnoun
- yakkedpast tenseverbnoun