YOKE

I. noun (plural ~s) Etymology: Middle English yok, from Old English geoc; akin to Old High German joh ~, Latin jugum, Greek zygon, Sanskrit yuga, Latin jungere to join Date: before 12th century 1. a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals (as oxen) are joined at the heads or necks for working together, an arched device formerly laid on the neck of a defeated person, a frame fitted to a person's shoulders to carry a load in two equal portions, a bar by which the end of the tongue of a wagon or carriage is suspended from the collars of the harness, e. a crosspiece on the head of a boat's rudder, an airplane control operating the elevators and ailerons, a frame from which a bell is hung, a clamp or similar piece that embraces two parts to hold or unite them in position, two animals ~d or worked together, 3. a. an oppressive agency, servitude , bondage , tie , link , a fitted or shaped piece at the top of a skirt or at the shoulder of various garments, II. verb (~d; yoking) Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to put a ~ on, to join in or with a ~, to attach a draft animal to, to join as if by a ~, to put to work, intransitive verb to become joined or linked