Word
yankee
Phoneticsyan·kee, stress on the first syllable
/ˈjæŋki/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a person who comes from the United States, especially from the northern states. People outside the U.S. often use it to talk about any American, sometimes in a joking or slightly rude way.
n. a person from the United States, particularly one from the northern or New England states. Depending on the speaker's location and intent, the term can range from a neutral regional identifier to a mildly derogatory label for Americans in general.
Examples
“The locals called the new visitor a Yankee.”
“During the international festival, the students joked about their friend being a typical Yankee because of his accent.”
Examples
simple
“The locals called the new visitor a Yankee.”
contextual
“During the international festival, the students joked about their friend being a typical Yankee because of his accent.”
Usage
Often shortened to 'Yank' in informal British or Australian English.
Etymology
First attested in 1765, when it was described as "a name of derision … given by the Southern people on the Continent to those of New England". Various suggestions have been made as to its origin: that it derives from a Cherokee word meaning "slave" or "coward" and was applied to the New Englanders by the Virginians because the former refused to aid the latter in a war against the Cherokees; that it derives from Yengees, an Indian corruption of English; and that it derives from Janke, a pet form of the common Dutch forename Jan. The OED regards the last of these as "perhaps the most plausible".
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
01. Yankee dime
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/yankee