yield
/jiːld/
The word 'yield' has several main meanings: 1. To give way or surrender: This is often used in situations involving force, pressure, or authority. For example, a driver must 'yield' to pedestrians or other vehicles. It can also mean to give up something, like a fight or a claim. 2. To produce or provide: This meaning applies to things that generate a result, such as land producing crops, an investment producing profit, or an effort producing a result. This is a very common use, especially in business and agriculture. 3. To allow to be taken: This can refer to something being physically taken or surrendered, like a bridge yielding to pressure or a person yielding their seat. 'Yield' can be used as both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it's transitive (you yield something) or intransitive (you yield to someone). As a noun, it typically refers to the amount produced or the profit made.
💬Casual Conversation
This new DeFi protocol could really yield some insane returns.
Or it could yield absolutely nothing, like all your other 'insane' ideas.
Collocations & Compounds
crop yield
The amount of a crop produced in a particular area.
The new fertilizer significantly increased the crop yield.
annual yield
The amount produced or gained in a year.
The annual yield from the orchard was lower than expected.
maximum yield
The greatest possible amount that can be produced or obtained.
Farmers aim for the maximum yield from their land.
yield gap
The difference between the potential yield of a crop and the actual yield achieved.
Reducing the yield gap is a key goal for agricultural scientists.
yield strength
The stress at which a material begins to deform plastically.
The yield strength of the steel was impressive.
Phrasal Verbs
yield to
To surrender or submit to someone or something.
He refused to yield to pressure from his opponents.
yield up
To give up something, especially unwillingly.
The rebels were forced to yield up their arms.
Idioms & Sayings
bend or yield the knee
To submit to someone's authority or power; to be subservient.
The defeated king was forced to bend the knee to the conqueror.
Cultural Context
The Unexpected Yield of the Prisoner's Dilemma: Cooperation in a Selfish World
The Prisoner's Dilemma is a cornerstone of game theory, a fascinating thought experiment that explores why two rational individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interest to do so. The scenario typically involves two suspects arrested for a crime. The police lack sufficient evidence for a conviction on the principal charge, so they interrogate the suspects separately, offering each a deal.
If Prisoner A betrays Prisoner B (defects) and Prisoner B remains silent (cooperates), A goes free, and B gets a long sentence. If B betrays A and A remains silent, B goes free, and A gets a long sentence. If both betray each other, they both receive a moderate sentence. If both remain silent, they both receive a short sentence on a lesser charge.
The 'dilemma' arises because, from a purely rational, self-interested perspective, defecting is always the better strategy, regardless of what the other prisoner does. If the other prisoner cooperates, defecting yields freedom instead of a short sentence. If the other prisoner defects, defecting yields a moderate sentence instead of a long one. Thus, the rational choice is to defect.
However, if both prisoners follow this rational logic, they both end up with a moderate sentence, which is worse for both of them than if they had both cooperated and received only a short sentence. The paradox highlights the conflict between individual rationality and collective well-being. It demonstrates how a system composed of self-interested agents can lead to suboptimal outcomes for the group. This has profound implications, explaining phenomena from arms races and environmental pollution to the challenges of collective action in social and economic contexts. The study of iterated Prisoner's Dilemmas, where the game is played multiple times, has shown that strategies like 'tit-for-tat' (cooperate on the first move, then mirror the opponent's previous move) can lead to higher overall yields of cooperation and mutual benefit, suggesting that cooperation can emerge even in seemingly selfish systems.
Etymology
The word 'yield' comes from the Old English word 'gieldan', meaning 'to pay, give up, surrender'. It evolved through Middle English as 'ȝelden' and is related to words in other Germanic languages that also convey the sense of paying or giving. Initially, it often referred to paying taxes or tribute, but it broadened over time to encompass the idea of giving way, producing, or surrendering something, whether physical or abstract.