yield

yield [yēld]

vt.

[ME yelden < OE gieldan, to pay, give, akin to Ger gelten, to be worth < IE base * ghel-tō, (I) give, pay]

1. to produce; specif.,

a) to give or furnish as a natural process or as the result of cultivation [an orchard that yielded a good crop]

b) to give in return; produce as a result, profit, etc. [an investment that yielded high profits]

2. to give up under pressure; surrender: sometimes used reflexively with up [to yield oneself up to pleasure]

3. to give; concede; grant [to yield the right of way, to yield a point]

4. Archaic to pay; recompense

vi.

1. to produce or bear [a mine that has yielded poorly]

2. to give up; surrender; submit

3. to give way to physical force [the gate would not yield to their blows]

4. to give place; lose precedence, leadership, etc.; specif.,

a) to let another, esp. a motorist, have the right of way

b) to give up willingly a right, position, privilege, etc.: often with to

n.

1. the act of yielding, or producing

2. the amount yielded or produced; return on labor, investment, taxes, etc.; product

3. Finance the ratio of the annual cash dividends or of the earnings per share of a stock to the market price

4. Physics Chem.

a) the total products actually obtained from given raw materials, usually expressed as a percentage of the amount theoretically obtainable

b) the force in kilotons or megatons of a nuclear or thermonuclear explosion

yielder

n.

SYN.- YIELD implies a giving way under the pressure or compulsion of force, entreaty, persuasion, etc. [to yield to demands ]; CAPITULATE implies surrender to a force that one has neither the strength nor will to resist further [to capitulate to the will of the majority ]; SUCCUMB stresses the weakness of the one who gives way or the power and irresistibility of that which makes one yield [she succumbed to his charms ]; RELENT suggests the yielding or softening of one in a dominant position who has been harsh, stern, or stubborn [he relented at the sight of her grief ]; DEFER¹ implies a yielding to another because of respect for his dignity, authority, knowledge, etc. [to defer to another's judgment ] -ANT. RESIST