yahoo

/jə'hu:/

Học thuật

Thân thiện

A student uses Yahoo to search for information about the solar system.

Definition

Noun:
- A crude, brutish, or uncouth person: A person who is considered to be coarse, vulgar, or lacking in culture and intelligence.
- A member of a fictional race: One of a race of brutish, human-like creatures subject to the Houyhnhnms (the intelligent horses) in Jonathan Swift's 1726 satirical novel Gulliver's Travels.
- (Proper noun, often capitalized) A major internet company and web services provider: A corporation known historically for its web portal, search engine, email service, and various online media and services.

Usage

The term yahoo is most commonly used as a noun to describe a person with uncivilized behavior.
When capitalized (Yahoo), it almost exclusively refers to the internet company.
The literary reference is specific to Swift's work and is used in discussions of literature and satire.

Examples

Noun (describing a person):
- He acted like a complete yahoo, shouting and throwing things at the concert.
- Don't be such a yahoo; have some manners at the dinner table.
Noun (literary reference):
- In Gulliver's Travels, the Yahoos represent the worst aspects of humanity.
- The philosopher compared the mob's behavior to that of Swift's Yahoos.
Proper Noun (company):
- I check my news feed on Yahoo every morning.
- She has had the same Yahoo email address for over twenty years.

Advanced Usage

"yahooism": (rare) Behavior or attitudes characteristic of a yahoo; brutishness.
- The political debate descended into pure yahooism, with name-calling and no substance.
The literary term is often used in academic or critical writing to symbolize base human nature, greed, and ignorance.

Variants and Related Words

Yahooing: (verb, rare) Behaving like a yahoo; acting in a loud, uncouth manner.
- He was yahooing around the bar, annoying all the other patrons.
Yahooish: (adjective) Resembling or characteristic of a yahoo.
- His yahooish conduct was not welcome at the formal gathering.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Sophisticate: A person with much worldly experience and knowledge of culture.
Gentleman / Lady: A person with refined manners.

Notes on Meaning

The modern derogatory meaning of an uncultured person derives directly from Swift's fictional creatures, whose name he may have coined.
The internet company Yahoo! chose its name precisely because the founders liked the dictionary definition of a "rude, unsophisticated, uncouth person," considering themselves as such when they started the project. This is an example of ironic or reappropriated usage.

A student uses Yahoo to search for information about the solar system.

Noun

a widely used search engine for the web that finds information, news, images, products, finance
one of a race of brutes resembling men but subject to the Houyhnhnms in a novel by Jonathan Swift
a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture

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