yo
interjectiondeterminerpronounnounnounnumeralnounnounverbcommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//jəʊ//
- United States//joʊ//
- //jɒ//
A greeting similar to hi.
interjection
- 1
slangA greeting similar to hi.
Yo Paulie! How's it going?
- 2
slangAn interjection similar to hey.
Yo, check this out!
Check this out, yo!
- 3
slangAn expression of surprise or excitement.
Yo, that's crazy, but I don't remember asking.
I have quickly acclimated myself to the standard form of greeting on campus: "Oh hey what’s your name? … Yeah, nice to meet you, what're you studying? … Yo that’s sick!" A script to recite, nearly verbatim, 10 times a day or more.
- 4
slangPresent! Here!
Sergeant: Smith? Private Smith: Yo!
- 5
Emphatic conclusion to a statement.
JESSE: That is messed up, yo.
Etymology
As a greeting first attested in 1859, attested first as a cry of sailors and huntsmen (first attested in the 1400s; compare e.g. huzzah, giddyup). Originally from Middle English yo, io, ȝo, yeo, yaw, variant forms of ya, ye (“yes, yea”), from Old English ġēa (“yes, yea”), from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes, thus, so”); or perhaps from Old English ēow (“Wo!, Alas!”, interjection). Compare Danish, Swedish, German, Norwegian jo (“yes (flexible meaning)”), Dutch jow (“hi, hey”) and Dutch jo (“hi, hey”). More at yea, ow, ew. Modern popularity apparently dates from the early 20th century in Philadelphia, PA; amongst the Italian Community there, where io, with (as opposed to in standard Italian language) the stress on the ultima, was a common salutatory response among residents, particularly young males. This usage was apparently reinforced by the aforesaid English terms. It has been claimed to have been a common response at roll calls during World War 2 (see definition 4), and then most intensely attested in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; it thence spread globally from American dominance of pop culture post-WWII.
determiner
- 1
Variant of yourPronunciation spelling of your.
Yo sandwich has only bacon in it. Want some ketchup on that?
Etymology
From a non-rhotic pronunciation of your.
pronoun
- 1
Generic third-person singular pronoun (primarily used in place of he and she).
Is dat yo mama? What's yo doin' in here??
I've lost ma pet turtle! But I think yo ain't far from here… You seen yo?
Yo was tuckin' in his shirt!
Wha' dey said to yo? Yo looks nervous.
Etymology
Ellipsis of such phrases as your friend/buddy, your brother/sister, your mom/dad, etc., referring to someone (whether present or absent, male or female) who is related to the interlocutor in some way. All such forms were then shortened to your (pronounced [joʊ], "yo", which see above). Eventually, the original meaning "your [someone]" was lost and broadened to "that person".
noun
- 1
Variant of year(s) oldAbbreviation of year(s) old.
- 2
Variant of yarn overInitialism of yarn over.
noun
- 1
The name of the letter Ё/ё in Cyrillic alphabets.
Etymology
From Russian ё (jo).
numeral
- 1
Variant of yolevenClipping of yoleven.
noun
- 1
Variant of yueobsoleteObsolete form of yue, a traditional Chinese unit of volume.
Etymology
From irregular romanization of the standard Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 龠 (yuè).
noun
- 1
Variant of YOAlternative form of YO
- 2
Variant of yarnoverAlternative form of YO: Abbreviation of yarnover.
verb
- 1
Variant of YOAlternative form of YO
- 2
Variant of yarnoverAlternative form of YO: Abbreviation of yarnover.
Forms
- plural
- yos
- past tense
- yoed
- past participle
- yoed
- present participle
- yoing
- third person singular
- yos