non-Yankees
|non-Yank-ees|
🇺🇸
/nɑnˈjæŋkiz/
🇬🇧
/nɒnˈjæŋkiːz/
(non-Yankee)
not a Yankee
Etymology
'non-Yankees' originates from the English negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') attached to the word 'Yankee' (see below).
'Yankee' emerged in 18th-century American English (possibly from Dutch 'Janke', a diminutive of 'Jan' meaning 'little John' or similar personal-name origins). The prefix 'non-' comes from Latin/Old French usage to form negations and has been attached to English nouns and adjectives since Middle English/Modern English periods.
Initially, 'Yankee' often meant a New Englander (or more broadly a Northerner); over time its usage broadened (sometimes to mean an American in international contexts, and separately as the name of the New York Yankees baseball team). The prefix 'non-' simply negates the base term, giving the meaning 'not a Yankee.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form of 'non-Yankee': people who are not Yankees — i.e., not members/supporters of the New York Yankees, or more generally not Yankees in the sense of New England/Northern (depending on context).
Most of the conference attendees were non-Yankees.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/12 04:59