[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

yoke \yoke\ y=ok, n. oe. yok, yoghoc, as. geoc; akin to
   d. juk, ohg. joh, g. joch, icel.  sw. ok, dan. aag, goth.
   juk, lith. jungas, russ. igo, l. jugum, gr. zy`gon, skr.
   yuga, and to l. jungere to join, gr. ?, skr. yui. root109,
   280. cf. join, jougs, joust, jugular, subjugate,
   syzygy, yuga, zeugma.
   1913 webster
   1. a bar or frame of wood by which two oxen are joined at the
      heads or necks for working together.
      1913 webster

            a yearling bullock to thy name shall smoke,
            untamed, unconscious of the galling yoke. --pope.
      1913 webster

   note: the modern yoke for oxen is usually a piece of timber
         hollowed, or made curving, near each end, and laid on
         the necks of the oxen, being secured in place by two
         bows, one inclosing each neck, and fastened through the
         timber. in some countries the yoke consists of a flat
         piece of wood fastened to the foreheads of the oxen by
         thongs about the horns.
         1913 webster

   2. a frame or piece resembling a yoke, as in use or shape.
      specifically:
      a a frame of wood fitted to a person's shoulders for
          carrying pails, etc., suspended on each side; as, a
          milkmaid's yoke.
      b a frame worn on the neck of an animal, as a cow, a
          pig, a goose, to prevent passage through a fence.
      c a frame or convex piece by which a bell is hung for
          ringing it. see illust. of bell.
      d a crosspiece upon the head of a boat's rudder. to its
          ends lines are attached which lead forward so that the
          boat can be steered from amidships.
      e mach. a bent crosspiece connecting two other parts.
      f arch. a tie securing two timbers together, not used
          for part of a regular truss, but serving a temporary
          purpose, as to provide against unusual strain.
      g dressmaking a band shaped to fit the shoulders or
          the hips, and joined to the upper full edge of the
          waist or the skirt.
          1913 webster

   3. fig.: that which connects or binds; a chain; a link; a
      bond connection.
      1913 webster

            boweth your neck under that blissful yoke . . .
            which that men clepeth spousal or wedlock.
                                                  --chaucer.
      1913 webster

            this yoke of marriage from us both remove. --dryden.
      1913 webster

   4. a mark of servitude; hence, servitude; slavery; bondage;
      service.
      1913 webster

            our country sinks beneath the yoke.   --shak.
      1913 webster

            my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. --matt. xi.
                                                  30.
      1913 webster

   5. two animals yoked together; a couple; a pair that work
      together.
      1913 webster

            i have bought five yoke of oxen, and i go to prove
            them.                                 --luke xiv.
                                                  19.
      1913 webster

   6. the quantity of land plowed in a day by a yoke of oxen.
      obs. --gardner.
      1913 webster

   7. a portion of the working day; as, to work two yokes, that
      is, to work both portions of the day, or morning and
      afternoon. prov. eng. --halliwell.
      1913 webster

   8. chiefly mach. a clamp or similar piece that embraces two
      other parts to hold or unite them in their respective or
      relative positions, as a strap connecting a slide valve to
      the valve stem, or the soft iron block or bar permanently
      connecting the pole pieces of an electromagnet, as in a
      dynamo.
      webster 1913 suppl.

   neck yoke, pig yoke. see under neck, and pig.

   yoke elm bot., the european hornbeam carpinus
      betulus, a small tree with tough white wood, often used
      for making yokes for cattle.
      1913 webster
see also:
join jougs joust jugular subjugate syzygy 
yuga zeugma bell neck yoke pig yoke 
neck pig yoke elm carpinus betulus 

Elm >> E Words
Elm, definition of term: Elm
elm_pag1.html

Dutch Elm >> D Words
Dutch Elm, definition of term: Dutch Elm
dutch+elm_pag1.html

Dutch Elm Disea >> D Words
Dutch Elm Disea, definition of term: Dutch Elm Disea
dutch+elm+disea_pag1.html