yeti
n. countablen. a large, hairy creature that some people believe lives in the Himalayan mountains. It is also called the Abominable Snowman.
n. a legendary ape-like creature said to inhabit the high Himalayas. Often referred to in Western culture as the Abominable Snowman.
The explorer claimed he saw a yeti in the snow.
Local legends describe the yeti as a shy but powerful creature that avoids human contact in the high mountains.
While modern science attributes most yeti sightings to misidentified Himalayan brown bears, the myth remains a central part of regional folklore and a popular subject for cryptozoologists.
Borrowed from Tibetan གཡའ་དྲེད (g.ya' dred, “wildman, yeti”), compound of གཡའ (g.ya', “dirt, rust, slate”) and དྲེད (dred, “bear”). Attested since 1937.
Usually capitalised when referring to the specific legendary figure, but lowercase is common for the general species.