# Yale

/ˈjeɪɫ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/yale
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. the university

noun · CEFR B2

a very famous and old university in the United States, located in Connecticut.

For teachers: a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, founded in 1701.

- She was very proud when she received her acceptance letter from Yale.
- The academic prestige associated with Yale attracts thousands of international applicants to its graduate programmes every year.

### 2. a type of lock

noun · CEFR B2 · British English

a common brand of lock for doors that uses a flat key with teeth.

For teachers: a brand of cylinder lock, often used generically to refer to the common pin-tumbler household lock.

- I need to get a spare key cut for the Yale lock on the front door.
- The locksmith recommended installing a high-security Yale cylinder to prevent intruders from picking the lock.

### 3. mythical beast

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

a creature from old stories that looks like a goat or antelope and can turn its horns in any direction.

For teachers: a mythical creature in European mythology and heraldry, typically depicted as an antelope-like animal with swivelling horns.

- The stone statue of a yale stood guard at the entrance to the old college.
- In medieval bestiaries, the yale is described as a formidable beast capable of rotating its horns independently to defend against attackers.

## Examples

- She studied law at Yale.
- After years of hard work and perfect grades, he finally received an acceptance letter from Yale.
- The architectural landscape of Yale is defined by its Gothic Revival colleges, which were designed to evoke the scholarly traditions of Oxford and Cambridge within an American context.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.