Yip
/jɪp/noun
A short, high-pitched bark or sharp cry, especially from a small dog.
Did you know?Yip is an example of sound symbolism or onomatopoeia, meaning its form was likely shaped directly by the sharp noise it describes rather than by an older ancestral root.
Etymological Timeline
Prehistoric sound-symbolism
Expressive English
*yip
“A reconstructed expressive vocal imitation of a short, sharp cry; not a documented written form”
19th Century
English
yip
“A sharp cry or small dog’s bark, recorded as an imitative formation”
Late 19th–Early 20th Century
English
yip
“A high-pitched bark associated especially with small dogs”
20th Century
English
yip
“A brief cry of excitement or pain, alongside its animal-sound meaning”
Modern English
English
yip
“A short, sharp bark or squeal; also an exclamation expressing excitement or distress”