Yoken

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Joined together or harnessed in pairs, as oxen were once bound beneath a wooden frame for pulling a plough
2. An archaic participle describing creatures or people that have been coupled under a shared bond or burden
3. Fastened or bound together in the manner of draft animals linked by a crossbar across their necks

Etymology: In Scots and northern English dialect, "yoken" is a noun for a bout, a tussle, or a spell of fighting, as in a "yoken" of boys brawling in the street. It belongs to the family of "yoke," which comes from Old English "geoc," the wooden frame that binds two oxen together. The sense of two things joined in a bond, and then of a contest between opponents, is one way to explain how the dialect meaning developed, though I am less certain of the exact path from the yoke to the fight.

Synonyms: harness, couple, join, link, connect

Antonyms: unyoke, separate, detach