yearling
/ˈjɪɚ.lɪŋ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.68 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An animal that is between one and two years old; one that is in its second year (but not yet two full years old).
noun
A racehorse that is considered to be one year old until a subsequent January 1st.
Example Sentences
- "a yearling lamb"
- "Tom Fettig and his wife, Kim, were there with 60 yearlings, about half of a herd they were helping their son raise on the outskirts of Bismarck."
- ""But is a plebe forbidden to stroll here?" "If a plebe did have the brass to try it," replied Anstey slowly, "I reckon he would have to fight the whole yearling class in turn.""
- "As a yearling, he admitted to doing his part in ensuring that plebes knew their place at the Academy, […]"
Etymology
From Middle English yerling, yerlyng, equivalent to year + -ling. Cognate with Dutch jaarling (“yearling”), German Jährling (“yearling”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈjɪɚ.lɪŋ/
- British English: /ˈjɜː.lɪŋ/
Usage
- American usage