n.
Pronunciation: ' y ō k, ' yelk ( in cultivated speech, esp Southern ), also ' y ō lk, ' yo ̇ lk, ' yälk, ' y ə lk
Variant: also yoke \ ' y ō k \
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English yolke, from Old English geoloca, from geolu yellow ― more at YELLOW
Date: before 12th century
1 a : the yellow spheroidal mass of stored food that forms the inner portion of the egg of a bird or reptile and is surrounded by the white ― see EGG illustration b archaic : the whole contents of an animal ovum consisting of a protoplasmic formative portion and an inert nutritive portion c : material stored in an animal ovum that supplies food to the developing embryo and consists chiefly of proteins, lecithin, and cholesterol
2 [akin to Middle Dutch ieke yolk (of wool), Old English ē owu ewe] : oily material in unprocessed sheep wool consisting of wool fat, suint, and debris
– yolked adjective
– yolky adjective