/ ˈjæŋki; NAmE / noun
1.
( NAmE ) a person who comes from or lives in any of the northern states of the US, especially New England
2.
a soldier who fought for the Union (= the northern states) in the American Civil War
3.
( BrE , informal ) = Yank
For more information see the Cultural Guide
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 18th cent.: origin uncertain; recorded in the late 17th cent. as a nickname; perhaps from Dutch Janke , diminutive of Jan John.