Yield Means to Give Way and to Produce
To yield is to surrender, or to produce a result. The Old English verb originally meant to pay.
To yield is to give way, and also to produce or supply. The two senses share an origin in payment: Old English *gieldan* meant to pay or repay, so a field that yields a crop is paying what it owes, and a person who yields is giving up what is demanded. The word for money survives in German *Geld*. American road signs say YIELD where British ones say GIVE WAY, and in finance a *yield* is the return an investment pays.
- To give way. *Yield to traffic.*
- To produce. *The field yields wheat.*
- A return. *A bond yield.*
- Give way — the British sign. *Give way.*
- Old English — *gieldan*, to pay. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | yield | Yield. |
| Past | yielded | Yielded. |
| Noun | yield | The yield. |
| Adjective | yielding | Yielding. |
| German | Geld | Money. |
- Yield to oncoming traffic.Road.
- The orchard yields well.Production.
- The bond yields four per cent.Finance.
Senses of yield
- Give way — in traffic or in argument
- Surrender — to a superior force
- Produce — of land, crops or processes
- Return — the income an investment pays
- Bend — of a material under load, before it breaks
Old English *gieldan*, to pay or repay, of Germanic origin, related to German *Geld*, money.
How can yield mean both surrender and produce?
Both come from the sense of paying what is owed. A field pays its crop, and a person yields what is demanded.
Is Geld related?
Yes. German Geld, money, comes from the same root, preserving the original sense of payment.