noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/jəʊk/
US:/joʊk/
US, dialectal:/jɔlk/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
homophone: yoke
rhymes with -əʊk
rhymes with -əʊlk
CMU ARPABET:Y OW1 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The yellow, spherical part of an egg that is surrounded by the white albumen, and serves as nutriment for the growing young.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
To make meringue, you have to separate the white from the yolk.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: egg yolk, ovoplasma, vitellus
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The grease in a sheep's fleece; lanolin.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To produce yolk.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
nutritive material of an ovum stored for the nutrition of an embryo (especially the yellow mass of a bird or reptile egg)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: vitellus
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: food, nutrient
5
noun
Meaning 5
the yellow spherical part of an egg that is surrounded by the albumen
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: egg yolk
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: ingredient, fixings
History
Etymology
From Middle English yolke, yelke, ȝolke, ȝelke, from Old English ġeolca, ġeoloca, ġioleca (“the yellow part, yolk”), derived from Old English ġeolu (“yellow”) + -ca (diminutive suffix).
Across languages
Translations
173 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
eiergeel
— yellow of egg
Afrikaans:
dooier
— yellow of egg
Albanian:
verdhë veze
— yellow of egg
Arabic:
صَفَار اَلْبَيْض
(ṣafār al-bayḍ)
— yellow of egg
Arabic:
أَصْفَر اَلْبَيْض
(ʔaṣfar al-bayḍ)
— yellow of egg
Arabic:
مُحّ
(muḥḥ)
— yellow of egg
Arabic:
صفار
(ṣafār)
— yellow of egg
Arabic:
صفار
(ṣafār)
— yellow of egg
Armenian:
դեղնուց
(deġnucʻ)
— yellow of egg
Aromanian:
gãlbinush
— yellow of egg
Assamese:
কুহুম
(kuhum)
— yellow of egg
Asturian:
yema
— yellow of egg
Azerbaijani:
yumurta sarısı
— yellow of egg
Basque:
gorringo
— yellow of egg
Belarusian:
жаўто́к
(žawtók)
— yellow of egg
Bengali:
কুসুম
(kuśum)
— yellow of egg
Bau Bidayuh:
sikonang
— yellow of egg
Breton:
melen-vi
— yellow of egg
Bulgarian:
жълтък
(žǎltǎk)
— yellow of egg
Burmese:
အနှစ်
(a.hnac)
— yellow of egg
Catalan:
rovell
— yellow of egg
Cebuano:
pughak
— yellow of egg
Chinese Cantonese:
蛋黃 /蛋黄
— yellow of egg
Chinese Cantonese:
黃 /黄
— yellow of egg
Chinese Mandarin:
蛋黃 /蛋黄
(dànhuáng)
— yellow of egg
East Circassian:
джэдыкӏэ кугъуэ
(džɛdəkʼɛ kwuğwɛ)
— yellow of egg
West Circassian:
кӏэнкӏэ кугъу
(kʼɛnkʼɛ kwuğwu)
— yellow of egg
Czech:
žloutek
— yellow of egg
Danish:
æggeblomme
— yellow of egg
Dutch:
dooier
— yellow of egg
Dutch:
eidooier
— yellow of egg
Dutch:
eigeel
— yellow of egg
Dutch:
eierdooier
— yellow of egg
Erzya:
алтюжа
(alťuža)
— yellow of egg
Esperanto:
ovoflavo
— yellow of egg
Faroese:
reyði
— yellow of egg
Faroese:
eggjareyði
— yellow of egg
Finnish:
munankeltuainen
— yellow of egg
Finnish:
keltuainen
— yellow of egg
Finnish:
ruskuainen
— yellow of egg
French:
jaune d'œuf
— yellow of egg
French:
jaune
— yellow of egg
French:
moyeu
— yellow of egg
Galician:
xema
— yellow of egg
Georgian:
კვერცხის გული
(ḳvercxis guli)
— yellow of egg
German:
Eigelb
— yellow of egg
German:
Dotter
— yellow of egg
German:
Eidotter
— yellow of egg
Greek:
κρόκος
(krókos)
— yellow of egg
Greek:
κροκάδι
(krokádi)
— yellow of egg
Ancient Greek:
λέκιθος
(lékithos)
— yellow of egg
Gujarati:
જરદી
(jardī)
— yellow of egg
Hebrew:
חֶלְמוֹן
(khelmón)
— yellow of egg
Hiligaynon:
batog
— yellow of egg
Hindi:
ज़रदी
(zardī)
— yellow of egg
Hindi:
ज़र्दी
(zardī)
— yellow of egg
Hungarian:
tojássárgája
— yellow of egg
Hungarian:
sárgája
— yellow of egg
Hungarian:
szik
— yellow of egg
Icelandic:
eggjarauða
— yellow of egg
Icelandic:
eggjablómi
— yellow of egg
Ido:
vitelo
— yellow of egg
Indonesian:
kuning telur
— yellow of egg
Ingrian:
ruskulain
— yellow of egg
Ingrian:
keltulain
— yellow of egg
Irish:
buíocán
— yellow of egg
Italian:
tuorlo
— yellow of egg
Italian:
rosso d'uovo
— yellow of egg
Japanese:
卵黄
(ran'ō)
— yellow of egg
Japanese:
黄身
(kimi)
— yellow of egg
Japanese:
蛋黄
— yellow of egg
Kabuverdianu:
jéma
— yellow of egg
Kalmyk:
өндгн
(öndgn)
— yellow of egg
Kashmiri:
زوٗن
(zūn)
— yellow of egg
Khün:
ᨾᩬᩁᨡᩱ᩵
— yellow of egg
Kinaray-a:
batog
— yellow of egg
Korean:
노른자
(noreunja)
— yellow of egg
Korean:
난황
(nanhwang)
— yellow of egg
Central Kurdish:
زەردێنە
(zerdêne)
— yellow of egg
Northern Kurdish:
zerik
— yellow of egg
Northern Kurdish:
zerika hêkê
— yellow of egg
Lao:
ມອນໄຂ່
(mǭn khai)
— yellow of egg
Lao:
ໄຂ່ແດງ
(khai dǣng)
— yellow of egg
Latin:
vitellus
— yellow of egg
Latin:
vitellum
— yellow of egg
Latvian:
dzeltenums
— yellow of egg
Lithuanian:
trynys
— yellow of egg
Low German:
Dodder
— yellow of egg
Low German:
Eigeel
— yellow of egg
Lü:
ᦙᦸᧃᦺᦃᧈ
(moanẋay1)
— yellow of egg
Lü:
ᦺᦃᧈᦡᦶᧂ
(ẋay1ḋaeng)
— yellow of egg
Luxembourgish:
Dueder
— yellow of egg
Luxembourgish:
Eegiel
— yellow of egg
Macedonian:
жо́лчка
(žólčka)
— yellow of egg
Maguindanao:
mariga sa leman
— yellow of egg
Malay:
kuning telur
— yellow of egg
Malay:
yolka
— yellow of egg
Maltese:
l-isfar tal-bajd
— yellow of egg
Manchu:
ᠶᠣᡥᠣ
(yoho)
— yellow of egg
Central Melanau:
kunieng teloh
— yellow of egg
Middle English:
yelke
— yellow of egg
Mongolian:
ѳндѳгний шар
(öndögnii šar)
— yellow of egg
Khiamniungan Naga:
vēulūimôngshòk
— yellow of egg
Norwegian Bokmål:
eggeplomme
— yellow of egg
Norwegian Bokmål:
plomme
— yellow of egg
Norwegian Nynorsk:
eggeplomme
— yellow of egg
Old English:
ġeoloca
— yellow of egg
Ossetian:
айчы бур
(ajḱy bur)
— yellow of egg
Pannonian Rusyn:
жовчок
(žovčok)
— yellow of egg
Pannonian Rusyn:
жольчок
(žolʹčok)
— yellow of egg
Persian:
زرده
(zarde)
— yellow of egg
Polabian:
carmăk
— yellow of egg
Polish:
żółtko
— yellow of egg
Portuguese:
gema
— yellow of egg
Romanian:
gălbenuș
— yellow of egg
Romansh:
mellen d'ov
— yellow of egg
Romansh:
mellen d'iev
— yellow of egg
Romansh:
melen d'ov
— yellow of egg
Romansh:
mellan d'öv
— yellow of egg
Romansh:
gelg d'öv
— yellow of egg
Russian:
желто́к
(želtók)
— yellow of egg
Scottish Gaelic:
buidheagan
— yellow of egg
Serbo-Croatian:
жуманце
— yellow of egg
Serbo-Croatian:
жуманaц
— yellow of egg
Serbo-Croatian:
жумањак
— yellow of egg
Serbo-Croatian:
žumance
— yellow of egg
Serbo-Croatian:
žumanac
— yellow of egg
Serbo-Croatian:
žumánjak
— yellow of egg
Shan:
မွၼ်းၶႆႇ
(máun khài)
— yellow of egg
Shan:
ၶႆႇလႅင်
(khài lěng)
— yellow of egg
Slovak:
žĺtok
— yellow of egg
Slovene:
rumenjak
— yellow of egg
Lower Sorbian:
cenk
— yellow of egg
Upper Sorbian:
žołtk
— yellow of egg
Upper Sorbian:
žołte
— yellow of egg
Upper Sorbian:
čwork
— yellow of egg
Southern Altai:
јымыртканыҥ сарызы
(ǰïmïrtkanïŋ sarïzï)
— yellow of egg
Spanish:
yema
— yellow of egg
Swahili:
kiini cha yai
— yellow of egg
Swedish:
äggula
— yellow of egg
Swedish:
gula
— yellow of egg
Sylheti:
ꠇꠥ
(ku)
— yellow of egg
Tagalog:
pula ng itlog
— yellow of egg
Tagalog:
apyak
— yellow of egg
Tagalog:
burok
— yellow of egg
Tahitian:
reʻa
— yellow of egg
Tai Dam:
ꪣꪮꪙꪼꪎ꪿
— yellow of egg
Tai Dam:
ꪼꪎ꪿ꪵꪒꪉ
— yellow of egg
Tamil:
கரு
(karu)
— yellow of egg
Tamil:
மஞ்சள் கரு
(mañcaḷ karu)
— yellow of egg
Tarifit:
rmeḥḥ
— yellow of egg
Thai:
ไข่แดง
(kài-dɛɛng)
— yellow of egg
Northern Thai:
ᨾᩬᩁᨡᩱ᩵
— yellow of egg
Northern Thai:
ᨡᩱ᩵ᨯᩯ᩠ᨦ
— yellow of egg
Turkish:
yumurta sarısı
— yellow of egg
Ottoman Turkish:
یومورطه صاریسی
(yumurta sarısı)
— yellow of egg