| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| yolk, yoke (nn.), yoke (v.) |
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| These are homophones rhyming with smoke. A yolk is the yellow part of an egg; a yoke is a heavy wooden frame or oxbow used to harness a team of oxen, and it has many specialized and figurative meanings as well, most of them suggested by the shape or purpose of the ox yoke. The verb yoke is very likely a functional shift from the noun yoke (both are Old English words); it means “to place in a yoke, to link together,” as in harnessing animals or getting married. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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