YAR
[384]
YAW
Y.
YThe twenty-third Letter in the Engt Ufa Alphabet, borrow'd originally from the Greek v- See Let- ■7 ter and Alphabet.
It is occasionally both Vowel, and Confo- nant .As a Vowel, fome Authors have judged it un- necessary in our Language, in regard its Sound is precifely the fame with that of the /'. Accordingly, it is but little ufed except in Words borrow'd from the Greek, to denote their Origin, by reprefenting their t^iAor-
The Vowel jy, however, has a place even in fome Words purely Englifii ; and that both in the middle thereof, as in dying, frying, &c. and at the end, as in lay, &c.
Some afcribe the ufeof the^y in pure Englifi and French Words, and thofe that have no y in Latin or Greek, to this, that antiently thofe Words were pronounced with a double 11 ; which having fomething aukward in ir, the y was fub- ilituted in lieu thereof. See I.
Others fay, that thofe Words being antiently wrote, as well as pronounced with a double ii, which they ftill are in the & Alteon, as paling, paiifan,6cc. to avoid their being miftaken for an u with two Dots over ir,they made the fecond i longer than the firtl, and Co form'd thejy. — Some give a parricular Reaion why Words ending in i, came ro be wrote with y > viz. that rhe Copiffs found the Tail of the y very commodious ot adorn the Margins and Bottoms of Pages withal.
When the_y follows a Confonant, it is a Vowel , and when it precedes a Vowel, it is a Confonanr, and /tiould be call'd ■ye, and not wy.
The Romans ufed the y for the Vowel u, which they had nor , their wa\ being to pronounce the common u as we do the Dip'thong on 5 and the Greek o-i/iKw as the Englifi and French u.
In cur own, and fome other modern Tongues, Authors begin tu difpenle more and more wirh the precifc Ortho- graphy, which requires all Words that have an Uffilon in the Greek 10 be wrote with a y. And with reaion , tince our Greeky has lort the Sound it had in the Language whence we borrow ii. But 'tis certainly ridiculous ro ufe ir, as many do, in Words which indeed have* Greek Origin, but have no n in the Greek ; as in Eclipfe. See Ecli pse, Ecliptic, &c.
Y is alio a numeral Letter, Signifying 150, or, according to Ba: onius, r 5? ; as in the Verfe :
Y dat Centenos iS quinipiaginta Novenos.
When a Dalit was added a -top, Y, it Signified 150 thoufand-
Pythagoras ulcd the Y as a Symbol of human Life 5 the Foot reprefenting infancy, and the forked Top, the two Paths of Vice and Virtue, one or r'other of which, People are to enter upon after attaining to the Age of Difcretion.
YACHT, a kind of Veffel, ufed by the Englifi, furnifh'd with Malls and Sails ; fit to go by Sea 5 and commo- dioully contriv'd and adorn'd, both withinfide and without, to fuit ir for State- Paffengers, &c.
The 2)utch have alfo Yatchts, but not fo well prepared
to live as Sea They are feldom ufed but to fail on Rivers
and Canals.
The Word feems derived from the T)utch Iacht, hunting, by reaion of the ligntnefs of thefe VelTels.
YARD, Virgn, a long Meafure ufed in England, and Spain; chiefly to meafure Cloth, Stuffs, iSc. See Mea- sure.
The Englifi Yard contains three Foot. See Foot.
It was firti fettled by Henry I. from the length of his own Arm. SeeViRCA.
The Englifi Yard is jufl feven Ninths of the 'Paris Ell ;
fo that nine Yards make feven Ells To reduce Ells,
therefore into Yards, fay, If feven Ells give nine Yards, how many Yards will the given Number of Ells give ?
Yards arc converted into Ells Flemifij, by adding a third parr; into Ella 'Englifi, by fubftracting a fifth part ; or
multiplying by 8, and calling off the right-hand Figure
Ells Englifi are converred inro Yards, by adding a fourth. To turn Ells Flemifi into Yards, fubftract one Quarter. See Ell.
The Spanifi Yard chiefly ufed itSevil, is, in fome Places,
c*U'd Barra It contains {J of the 'Paris Ell ; fo that
ii Ells make 14 Spanifi Yards.
Y~ard, in Anatomy, thcPenis, or Virile Member ; fer- ving for the evacuating of tie Urine, and Seed. S«ePENis; fee alfo Urine and Seed.
Yard-ZW, Virgata Terra, or J 'irga Terra, is a cer- tain Quantity of Land, various according to the Place-
At Wimbleton in Surrey, it is only 15 Acres ; but in mod other Counties it contains 20, in fome 24, in fome 50, and in others 40 Acres. See Acre.
Virgata Terra amtinet 24 Acras ; t$ + Virgata confli- t mint imam Hidam.tf quinque Hida conftituunt Feodum Mi- htare. MS. Abbot Malmef. See Hide, Knight's Pes Carrucate, tSc. *
Yards, or Sail-Yards, of a Ship, are long pieces of limber, tapering at each end, fined a-ctofs the feverat Malts to carry rhe Sails. See Mast.
The Sails are fallen 'd to the Yards at the Heads ; fo as to be hoifled up, and let down together with them bv Ropes call'd Halliards. See S AI l and Halliard. '
The Mail. .Yard is that of the Main-Mail the Mizzen
lard, Bolt-fprtt Yard, &c. are thofe of the Mizzen Sgc. See Mizzen, Bolt-sprit, &c.
They have feveral Phrafes and Words of Command re- lating to the Management of the Yards ; as— -Brace the Yard, which Signifies to traverfe aft the Yardhtm whofe trace is haled ; fo rhat to traverfe rhe Yard, is the fame as
to lay, Brace it aft. Square the Yard, is as much as to
lay, lee mat it hang right a-crofs the Ship, and one Tard-
Arm not traverfed more than the other. 'Top the Yards
q.d. make rbem hang even. '
Yard's-^hw, is that half of the Yard which is on either fide the Malt, when it lies athwart the Ship.
1 ares are alfo Places belonging to the Navy, where the Ships of War, fjc. are laid up in Harbour. See Navs- Harbour, Ship, £yc. '
The King's Yards, are Chatham, Tleptford, Woolwich Portfmouth, Sherenefs, Plimonth, and Harwich ; each of which is provided with feveral Docks, Wharfs, Lanches and Graving Places for rhe Building, Repairino and Cleaning his Majefty's Ships. See Dock, Wharf^ £?c.
In thefe Yards are alfo lodged great quantities of Tim ber, Malls, Planks, Anchors, &c. There are alfo Siore- Houles belonging to each Yard, wherein are referv'd vail quantities of Cables, Rigging, Sails, Blocks Sk
In *e feveral Yards are great Rope-r<rr*, wherein Cables and all lorts ot Cordage are made. See Cord age Cable, iSc. ' '
Y ARE, among Sailors, implies as much as, nimb'e readv quick, expeditious. ' J '
Hence, to Be Yare at the Helm, Signifies to fet a fre/h Man at the Helm.
I$v»;, & }T) V ,°° l See Wool.Spinhinc, Cloth,^.
IAKKINGLEo, or 1'arringle Blades, a kind of Reel, or Inflruroenc with which Hanks of lam are wound in Clews, or .Balls. SeeREsi.
YATCHES, Veffcls with one Deck, carrying from 4 to 12 Guns, with from 20 ro 4; Men ; being of Burden from 30 ro 1 (To Ton. See Vessel.
They draw little Water, and are ufed for running, and ma- king (horr Trips, 2?c— Their Makes and Forms are various.
YAWES, in the Sea-Language,— A Snip is faid to make Yawes, when through the fault of him at the Helm, She is not kept fieady in her Courfe ; but makes Ansles in and out. See Helm.
To prevenr rhis, tht Conner cries to him at Helm, Steady Steady. See Conner.
YAWNING, Ofcitatio, an involuntary openino of the Mouth, occafion'd by a Vapour or Ventolity, endeavouring to efcape ; and generally witneffing an irkfome Wcarinefs or. an Inclination to Sleep.
The Remedy Hippocrates prefcribes againft continual YawnmgS, is to make long Breathings, or Refpirations— The fame he recommends againfi the Hiccough. See Hic- cough.
The nervous Membrane of the Oefphagl/s is the S:at of Yawning, which is cerrain to be produced whenever any irritation determines the Spirits ro flow thirher in too great
abundance. The Catife of the Irritation isfuppofed to be
fome troublefome Humour wetting the inner Membrane of the Oefipbagus ; which Humour proceeds either from the Glands Spread throughout that Membrane, or from acid Vapours arifing from the Stomach, as from a Boiling-Pot an.) which condenfe on the Sides of the Oefipbagus as on a Pot Lid.
On fuch occasions, the nervous Fibres of the Membrane of the Gullet being irritated, dilate the Gullet; and the
Mouth
