variants
or less commonly yoke
1
a
: the yellow spheroidal mass of stored food that forms the inner portion of the egg of a bird or reptile and is surrounded by the white see egg illustration
b
archaic
: the whole contents of an animal ovum consisting of a protoplasmic formative portion and an inert nutritive portion
c
: material stored in an animal ovum that supplies food to the developing embryo and consists chiefly of proteins, lecithin, and cholesterol
2
[akin to Middle Dutch ieke yolk (of wool), Old English ēowu ewe]
: oily material in unprocessed sheep wool consisting of wool fat, suint, and debris
Examples of yolk in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the egg white, 579 are present; in the egg yolk, 584 proteins are present.
—
Kathi Valeii Published, Verywell Health, 3 July 2024
For now, the newborn snakes are living off egg yolk and nutrients from their mother.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 26 June 2024
Mix pie filling: Meanwhile, whisk together condensed milk and egg yolks until smooth.
—Anna Theoktisto, Southern Living, 10 June 2024
Place three tablespoons of rice in the cone and stuff pork, chestnuts, shiitake and salted egg yolk inside, then cover with rice loosely to the top edge of the cone.
—Michelle Tchea, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for yolk 
Kathi Valeii Published, Verywell Health, 3 July 2024
For now, the newborn snakes are living off egg yolk and nutrients from their mother.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 26 June 2024
Mix pie filling: Meanwhile, whisk together condensed milk and egg yolks until smooth.
—Anna Theoktisto, Southern Living, 10 June 2024
Place three tablespoons of rice in the cone and stuff pork, chestnuts, shiitake and salted egg yolk inside, then cover with rice loosely to the top edge of the cone.
—Michelle Tchea, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for yolk
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yolk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Yolk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yolk. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
yolk
noun
ˈyōk 
ˈyelk,
also ˈyōlk
1
: the yellow inner mass of stored food in the egg of a bird or reptile
2
: the material stored in an animal ovum that supplies food material to the developing embryo
Medical Definition
yolk
noun
: material stored in an ovum that supplies food to the developing embryo and consists chiefly of proteins, lecithin, and cholesterol
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