yankee
yankee Lexical Profile
yankee Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A native or inhabitant of the United States (often used informally outside the US and typically capitalized).
"During the international tournament, the visiting locals cheered loudly for the Yankee."
American A native or inhabitant of New England, or more broadly of the northern United States, especially a Union soldier during the American Civil War (typically capitalized).
"His grandfather was a proud Maine Yankee who worked in the shipbuilding trade for forty years."
A code word representing the letter Y in the NATO phonetic alphabet (usually capitalized).
"The air traffic controller spelled out the call sign ending with X-ray, Yankee, and Zulu."
• adjective
Of, relating to, or characteristic of the United States, the northern states, or New England and their inhabitants (typically capitalized).
"The historic village is famous for its traditional Yankee architecture and frugal spirit."
Word Nuance & Usage
The geographic scope of "Yankee" shifts depending on the speaker's perspective: outside the United States it refers to any American, in the American South it refers to any Northerner, and in the American North it refers specifically to a traditional New Englander.
• Rhymes for yankee
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the mid-18th century, the word likely derives from Dutch "Janke" (a diminutive of the given name "Jan") or "Jan Kees," originally applied as a nickname by Dutch settlers in New York to English colonists in neighboring Connecticut.