yeaned; yeaning; yeans

intransitive verb

: to bring forth young
used of a sheep or goat

Word History

Etymology

Middle English yenen, from Old English *geēanian, from Old English ge-, perfective prefix + ēanian to yean; akin to Latin agnus lamb, Greek amnos

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of yean was in 1548

Dictionary Entries Near yean

Cite this Entry

“Yean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yean. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!