Yao
/ˈjaʊ/noun
A member of an East Asian ethnic group traditionally living in southern China and parts of mainland Southeast Asia.
Did you know?Many Yao communities have historically maintained ritual specialists who communicate with spirits and use written liturgies in healing and exorcistic ceremonies.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Chinese
瑶
“A Chinese character associated with precious jade and used in the ethnonym Yao.”
Medieval China
Middle Chinese
Yáo
“The developing Chinese pronunciation of the name written 瑶.”
Ming–Qing periods
Chinese
瑶族
“The Yao people; literally the Yao ethnic group.”
19th Century
English
Yao
“An English rendering of the Chinese ethnonym for the people.”
Modern English
English
Yao
“A member of the Yao ethnic group, or the group collectively.”