yolk

noun \ˈyōk, ˈyelk (in cultivated speech, especially Southern), also ˈyōlk, ˈyȯlk, ˈyälk, ˈyəlk\

: the yellow part in the center of an egg

Full Definition of YOLK

a : the yellow spheroidal mass of stored food that forms the inner portion of the egg of a bird or reptile and is surrounded by the white — see egg illustration

b archaic : the whole contents of an animal ovum consisting of a protoplasmic formative portion and an inert nutritive portion

c : material stored in an animal ovum that supplies food to the developing embryo and consists chiefly of proteins, lecithin, and cholesterol

[akin to Middle Dutch ieke yolk (of wool), Old English ēowu ewe] : oily material in unprocessed sheep wool consisting of wool fat, suint, and debris

— yolked adjective

— yolky adjective

See yolk defined for English-language learners

See yolk defined for kids

Variants of YOLK

yolk also yoke \ˈyōk\

Origin of YOLK

Middle English yolke, from Old English geoloca, from geolu yellow — more at yellow

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

Rhymes with YOLK

bloke, broke, choke, cloak, coke, croak, folk, hoke, joke, moke, oak, poke, Polk, roque, smoke, soak, soke, spoke, stoke, stroke, toke, toque, yogh, yoke

YOLKY Defined for Kids

yolk

noun \ˈyōk\

Definition of YOLK for Kids

: the yellow inner part of the egg of a bird or reptile containing stored food material for the developing young

Word History of YOLK

The word yolk goes back to Old English geoloca (a spelling that seems less strange when you know that ge- in Old English could stand for the sound /y/). Geoloca, in turn, is a derivative of geolu, the ancestor of our word yellow. This makes perfect sense given the color of a yolk, but changes in pronunciation over the course of centuries no longer make the relationship of the words obvious.

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