Old English geocian "to yoke, join together," from yoke (n.). Related: Yoked; yoking.

Old English geoc "contrivance for fastening a pair of draft animals," earlier geoht "pair of draft animals" (especially oxen), from Proto-Germanic *yukam (source also of Old Saxon juk, Old Norse ok, Danish aag, Middle Dutch joc, Dutch juk, Old High German joh, German joch, Gothic juk "yoke"), from PIE root *yeug- "to join." Figurative sense of "heavy burden, oppression, servitude" was in Old English.

Middle English letter (Ȝ), c. 1300; see Y. The name probably is identical with yoke (Middle English yogh) and so called because yoke began with a yogh.

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to join."

It forms all or part of: adjoin; adjust; conjoin; conjugal; conjugate; conjugation; conjunct; disjointed; enjoin; injunction; jugular; jostle; joust; join; joinder; joint; jointure; junction; juncture; junta; juxtapose; juxtaposition; rejoin (v.2) "to answer;" rejoinder; subjoin; subjugate; subjugation; subjunctive; syzygy; yoga; yoke; zeugma; zygoma; zygomatic; zygote.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit yugam "yoke," yunjati "binds, harnesses," yogah "union;" Hittite yugan "yoke;" Greek zygon "yoke," zeugnyanai "to join, unite;" Latin iungere "to join," iugum "yoke;" Old Church Slavonic igo, Old Welsh iou "yoke;" Lithuanian jungas "yoke," jungti "to fasten to a yoke;" Old English geoc "yoke."

"conjunction or opposition of a heavenly body with the sun," 1650s, from Late Latin syzygia, from Greek syzygia "yoke of animals, pair, union of two, conjunction," from syzygein "to yoke together," from assimilated form of syn- "together" (see syn-) + zygon "yoke" (from PIE root *yeug- "to join"). Related: Syzygial; Syzygiacal; Syzygetic.

early 15c., a back-formation from subjugation or else from Latin subiugatus, past participle of subiugare "to subjugate, subdue," literally "bring under the yoke," from sub "under" (see sub-) + iugum "yoke," from PIE root *yeug- "to join." Related: Subjugated; subjugating.

late 14c., from Late Latin subiugationem (nominative subiugatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin subiugare "to subdue," literally "bring under the yoke," from sub "under" (see sub-) + iugum "yoke," from PIE root *yeug- "to join."

"recently or just begun," 1530s, from Latin inchoatus, past participle of inchoare, alteration of incohare "commence, begin," probably originally "to hitch up," traditionally derived from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + a verb from cohum "strap (fastened to the oxen's yoke)," a word of obscure origin. De Vaan says that as, incohere "is a frequent verb, ... its meaning can easily have derived from 'to yoke a plough to a team of oxen' ..., in other words, 'to start work.' Thus, there might be a core of truth in the ancient connection of cohum with a yoke."

also re-match "to match again," by 1835 (of oxen in the yoke), from re- "again" + match (v.). Related: Rematched; rematching.

1880, coined 1878 by German cytologist Eduard Strasburger (1844-1912), the widespread attribution to William Bateson being apparently erroneous; from Greek zygotos "yoked," from zygon "yoke" (from PIE root *yeug- "to join").