• PunnyName@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Meaning of yeet in English

          “to throw something with a lot of force”

          – Oxford English Dictionary

          • bricklove@midwest.social
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            11 months ago

            It comes from Latin iactare meaning “to cast”. Over time the c was dropped as French evolved and the i shifted to a y consonant and we get yeter. Once it was borrowed into English it further changed as the -er was dropped and short e became a long ee following the great vowel shift.

            I am lying but most of those bits are facts and I’m actually describing the etymology of jet. Also the proto Indo European ye is hilariously uncanny.

            • quackers@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              11 months ago

              This is indeed pulled out of the ass. The origin of the word ‘yeet’ is meme from vine. It did get added to several big boy dictionaries. There is speculation that the word was used regionally in the 2000s.

              Now a bunch of people think it has some latin origin because it sounds convincing while a quick google search (or AI because, 2023) debunks the claim.

              It is a fun word though, i enjoy using it. :3

            • jadero@mander.xyz
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              11 months ago

              All roads lead to PIE. Or is that from? Oh, and maybe not “all.”

              But seriously, I went through a linguistics phase in my reading and came away with the sense that Proto Indo European is a lot closer to us than it seems at first glance.

          • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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            11 months ago

            Looks like I learned something today. Though is there something wrong with just saying “threw”?

            • PunnyName@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              It’s just how language evolves. Maybe the extra force insinuated in “yeet” helps differentiate, depending on the person.

              In the end, as long as you understand, then what has been communicated has succeeded, even if it’s weird.

            • vithigar@lemmy.ca
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              11 months ago

              “Yeet” carries an implication of force and disregard that “throw” does not. A dart player is not yeeting the darts.

              • Threeme2189@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                A dart player is not yeeting the darts

                Now that you mention it, they should start yeeting darts!

              • jadero@mander.xyz
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                11 months ago

                New word! Thanks.

                I made a half-assed guess as to its meaning based on the fact that I’ve heard of an elite basketball player by that name. I got pretty close, according to urban dictionary.

              • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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                11 months ago

                I’m going to pass on that. The whole thing is a bit too silly for my taste.

                • dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de
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                  11 months ago

                  Each to their own, but I may remind you that whenever your generation was growing up it’s incredibly likely that you were using words your parents didn’t use.

                  I can see you’ve already been informed how language evolves, and if you can’t accept that then I don’t know what to say. I guess I could ask why you ain’t talking all Shakespearean?