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Yak vs Yam - What's the difference?

yak | yam |

As nouns the difference between yak and yam

is that yak is an ox-like mammal native to the Himalayas and Tibet with dark, long and silky hair a horse like tail and a full, bushy mane while yam is any climbing vine of the genus Dioscorea in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, usually cultivated.

As a verb yak

is to talk, particularly informally but persistently, such as chatter.

yak

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • An ox-like mammal native to the Himalayas and Tibet with dark, long and silky hair a horse like tail and a full, bushy mane.
    • Hyponyms
    * Bos mutus * Bos grunniens * - wild yak * - domestic yak
    Derived terms
    * yak shaving * yakless

    See also

    *

    Etymology 2

    apparently an onomatopoeia

    Alternative forms

    * yack

    Verb

    (yakk)
  • To talk, particularly informally but persistently, such as chatter.
  • * 1960:' ''“You'll like Poppet. Nice dog. Wears his ears inside out. Why do dachshunds wear their ears inside out?” “I could not say, sir.” “Nor me. I've often wondered. But this won't do, Jeeves. Here we are, '''yakking about Jezebels and dachshunds, when we ought to be concentrating our minds [...]”'' (, ''(Jeeves in the Offing) , chapter XI)
  • To vomit, usually as a result of excessive alcohol consumption.
    • Usage notes
    * This is subject to the typically Australian 'have-a-verb' syntactic construction, as in 'I had a yak last night'. But this does not qualify 'yak' to be nominal.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A talk, particular an informal one such as chattering.
  • (slang) A laugh
  • Vomit.
  • (slang) shorthand for kayak
    • Related terms
    * yackety-yak

    Anagrams

    * ----

    yam

    English

    (wikipedia yam)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) inhame and (etyl) . The term was coined in .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (botany) Any climbing vine of the genus Dioscorea in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, usually cultivated
  • The edible, starchy, tuberous root of that plant, a tropical staple food.
  • (US) A sweet potato; a tuber from the species Ipomoea batatas .
  • (Scotland) Potato.
    • Usage notes
    Careful use distinguishes yams (genus Dioscorea'') from sweet potatoes (''Ipomoea batatas ), while casual American use conflates these.
    Derived terms
    * Chinese yam * purple yam * wild yam * yamless

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (West Cumbria) home.

    • Anagrams

    * ----