yawl
pronunciation
How to pronounce yawl in British English:
UK [jɔ:l]
How to pronounce yawl in American English:
US [jɔl]
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- Noun:
- a ship's small boat (usually rowed by 4 or 6 oars)
- a sailing vessel with two masts; a small mizzen is aft of the rudderpost
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- Verb:
- emit long loud cries
Word Origin
- yawl (n.)
- type of ship's boat, 1660s, apparently from Middle Low German jolle or Dutch jol "a Jutland boat" (according to a 1708 source), of uncertain origin. Also borrowed into French (yole), Italian (jolo), Russian (yal).
Example
- 1. He crept down the bank , watching with all his eyes , slipped into the water , swam three or four strokes and climbed into the skiff that did " yawl " duty at the boat 's stern . He laid himself down under the thwarts and waited , panting .