I. yoke 1 /jəʊk $ joʊk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: geoc ]
1 . a wooden bar used for keeping two animals together, especially cattle, when they are pulling heavy loads
2 . a frame that you put across your shoulders so that you can carry two equal loads which hang from either side of it
3 . the yoke of something literary something that restricts your freedom, making life difficult:
the yoke of tradition
4 . a part of a skirt or shirt just below the waist or collar, from which the main piece of material hangs in folds
II. yoke 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to put a yoke on two animals
2 . to closely connect two ideas, people, or things
yoke something to something
Beauty is forever yoked to youth in our culture.