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Origin and history of yins

yins(pron.)

"you people, you-all," contracted from U.S. dialectal you-uns, for you-ones (see you, also see y'all, youse); noted by 1810 in Ohio as you-uns. Also yinz; now considered a localism in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Entries linking to yins

y'all(pron.)

by 1879, U.S. dialect abbreviation of you all (attested by 1824); see you + all, and compare yins.

Children learn from the slaves some odd phrases ... as ... will you all do this? for, will one of you do this? ["Arthur Singleton" (Henry C. Knight), "Letters from the South and West," 1824]

We-all for "us" is attested by 1865; we-uns by 1864. Who-all attested from 1899.

Them-all "all of them" is from early 15c. In Middle English ow alle "all of you" is from c. 1200. ʒe alle "ye all" is by c. 1400; Old English had eale ge "all ye."

you(pron.)

Middle English, from Old English eow, dative and accusative plural of þu (see thou) and objective case of ge, "ye" (see ye), from Proto-Germanic *juz-, *iwwiz (source also of Old Norse yor, Old Saxon iu, Old Frisian iuwe, Middle Dutch, Dutch u, Old High German iu, iuwih, German euch), from PIE *yu, second person (plural) pronoun.

The pronunciations of you and the nominative form ye gradually merged from 14c.; the distinction between them passed out of general usage by 1600.

Widespread use of French in England after 12c. gave English you the same association as French vous, and it began to drive out singular nominative thou, first as a sign of respect (similar to the "royal we") when addressing superiors, then equals and strangers, and ultimately (by c. 1575) becoming the general form of address.

You know as a parenthetical filler is from 1712, but it has roots in 14c.; as as a euphemism for a thing or situation unmentionable it is from 1867. You never know as a response to something unexpected is attested from 1924.

Phrase you-know-what in place of something deliberately not named is by c. 1600 (1540s as you wot what). You-know-who (or whom) for a person it is thought best not to name (but implying the hearer knows) is by 1766. You never know as a response to something unexpected is attested from 1924.

Through 13c. English also retained a dual pronoun ink "you two; your two selves; each other."

youse

dialectal inflection of you, by 1876, not always used in plural senses but perhaps felt as a plural. Compare yins, y'all.

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Trends of yins

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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lure

early 14c., "something which allures or entices, an attraction" (a figurative use), originally the name of a device for recalling a hawk, from Anglo-French lure, Old French loirre "device used to recall hawks, lure," from Frankish *lothr or some other Germanic source, from Proto-

rule

c. 1200, "principle or maxim governing conduct, formula to which conduct must be conformed" from Old French riule, Norman reule "rule, custom, (religious) order" (in Modern French partially re-Latinized as règle), from Vulgar Latin *regula, from Latin regula "straight stick, bar,

principle

late 14c., "origin, source, beginning" (a sense now obsolete), also "rule of conduct; axiom, basic assumption; elemental aspect of a craft or discipline," from Anglo-French principle, Old French principe "origin, cause, principle," from Latin principium (plural principia) "a begi

plumb

early 14c., "a mass of lead hung on a string to show the vertical line" (mid-14c. as "the metal lead"), from Old French *plombe, plomee "sounding lead," and directly from Late Latin *plumba, originally plural of Latin plumbum "lead (the metal), lead ball; pipe; pencil," a word of

merry

Middle English mirie, from Old English myrge "pleasing, agreeable, pleasant, sweet, exciting feelings of enjoyment and gladness" (said of grass, trees, the world, music, song); also as an adverb, "pleasantly, melodiously," from Proto-Germanic *murgijaz, which probably originally

mimosa

genus of leguminous shrubs, 1731, coined in Modern Latin (1619) from Latin mimus "mime" (see mime (n.)) + -osa, adjectival suffix (fem. of -osus). So called because some species (including the common Sensitive Plant) fold leaves when touched, seeming to mimic animal behavior. As

culture

mid-15c., "the tilling of land, act of preparing the earth for crops," from Latin cultura "a cultivating, agriculture," figuratively "care, culture, an honoring," from past participle stem of colere "to tend, guard; to till, cultivate" (see colony). Meaning "the cultivation or re

repent

c. 1300, repenten, "be grieved over one's past and seek forgiveness; feel such regret for sins, crimes, or omissions as produces amendment of life," from Old French repentir (11c.), from re-, here perhaps used as an intensive prefix, "very much" (see re-), + Vulgar Latin *penitir

class

c. 1600, "group of students," in U.S. especially "number of pupils in a school or college of the same grade," from French classe (14c.), from Latin classis "a class, a division; army, fleet," especially "any one of the six orders into which Servius Tullius divided the Roman peopl

protocol

mid-15c., prothogol, "prologue;" 1540s, prothogall, "draft of a document, minutes of a transaction or negotiation, original of any writing" (senses now obsolete), from French prothocole (c. 1200, Modern French protocole), from Medieval Latin protocollum "draft," literally "the fi

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