Xenophobia
comes from the Greek words
xeno|pho|bic
/ze
nəfoʊ
b
I
k/ ADJ
If you describe someone as
xenophobic
, you disapprove of them because they show strong dislike or fear of people from other countries. [FORMAL
, DISAPPROVAL
] □
Xer|ox /z I ə rɒks/ (Xeroxes , Xeroxing , Xeroxed )
1
N‑COUNT
[usu N
n] A
Xerox
is a machine that can make copies of pieces of paper which have writing or other marks on them. [TRADEMARK
] □
2 N‑COUNT A Xerox is a copy of something written or printed on a piece of paper, which has been made using a Xerox machine.
3
VERB
If you
Xerox
a document, you make a copy of it using a Xerox machine. □ [V
n]
XmasXmas
is used in informal written English to represent the word Christmas. □
X -ray (X-rays , X-raying , X-rayed ) also x-ray
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] X-rays are a type of radiation that can pass through most solid materials. X-rays are used by doctors to examine the bones or organs inside your body and are also used at airports to see inside people's luggage.
2
N‑COUNT
An
X-ray
is a picture made by sending X-rays through something, usually someone's body. □
3
VERB
If someone or something
is X-rayed
, an X-ray picture is taken of them. □ [
xy|lo|phone /za I ləfoʊn/ (xylophones ) N‑COUNT A xylophone is a musical instrument which consists of a row of wooden bars of different lengths. You play the xylophone by hitting the bars with special hammers.
Yy
Y , y /wa I / (Y's, y's )
1 N‑VAR Y is the twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet.
2
N‑SING
A YMCA or YWCA hostel is sometimes referred to as
the Y
. [AM
, INFORMAL
] □
SUFFIX -y
1
forms adjectives that mean that something is like something else.
2
also forms adjectives that indicate that something is full of something else or covered in it.
yacht
◆◇◇ /jɒ
t/ (yachts
) N‑COUNT
A
yacht
is a large boat with sails or a motor, used for racing or pleasure trips. □
yacht|ing
/jɒ
t
I
ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT
Yachting
is the sport or activity of sailing a yacht. □
yachts|man /jɒ tsmən/ (yachtsmen ) N‑COUNT A yachtsman is a man who sails a yacht.
yachts|woman /jɒ tswʊmən/ (yachtswomen ) N‑COUNT A yachtswoman is a woman who sails a yacht.
ya|hoo (yahoos ) Pronounced /jɑːhuː / for meaning 1 , and /jɑː huː/ for meaning 2 . 1 EXCLAM People sometimes shout ' yahoo! ' when they are very happy or excited about something.
2 N‑COUNT Some people refer to young rich people as yahoos when they disapprove of them because they behave in a noisy, extravagant, and unpleasant way. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
yak /jæ k/ (yaks or yak ) N‑COUNT A yak is a type of cattle that has long hair and long horns. Yaks live mainly in the Himalayan mountains.
yam /jæ m/ (yams )
1 N‑VAR A yam is a root vegetable which is like a potato, and grows in tropical regions.
2 N‑VAR Yams are the same as sweet potatoes . [AM ]
yank
/jæ
ŋk/ (yanks
, yanking
, yanked
) VERB
If you
yank
someone or something somewhere, you pull them there suddenly and with a lot of force. □ [V
n with adj]
Yank (Yanks ) N‑COUNT Some people refer to people from the United States of America as Yanks . This use could cause offence. [INFORMAL ]
Yan|kee /jæ ŋki/ (Yankees )