yoke

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
yoke/jəʊk/

▶noun

• 1 a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to a plough or cart that they pull in unison.

  ■ (pl. same or yokes) a pair of animals yoked together.

  ■ archaic the amount of land that one pair of oxen could plough in a day.

• 2 a frame fitting over the neck and shoulders of a person, used for carrying pails or baskets.

• 3 a part of a garment that fits over the shoulders and to which the main part of the garment is attached.

• 4 (in ancient Rome) an arch of three spears under which a defeated army was made to march.

• 5 something regarded as oppressive or burdensome: the yoke of imperialism.

• 6 the crossbar of a rudder.

▶verb put a yoke on; couple or attach with or to a yoke.

– origin OE geoc (n.), geocian (v.), of Gmc origin.