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Yap (yăp, yäp)
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An island group and state of the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. Part of a Japanese mandate after 1920, it fell to US forces in 1945. Yap is noted for the large stone disks traditionally used as money by the native population.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 
yap (yăp)
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v. yapped, yap·ping, yaps
v.intr.
1. To bark sharply or shrilly; yelp.
2. Slang To talk noisily or stupidly; jabber.
v.tr.
To utter by yapping.
n.
1. A sharp, shrill bark; a yelp.
2. Slang Noisy, stupid talk; jabber.
3. Slang The mouth: Shut your yap.
4. Slang A stupid, crude, or loud person.
[Probably imitative.]
yapper n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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