yo-yo

See also yoyo

English

Etymology

Wikipedia

Photograph of a national yo-yo champion in Chico, California

Formerly a trademark. Most likely from Filipino Llokano "yóyo"

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

yo-yo (plural yo-yos)

1. A toy consisting of a spheroidal or cylindrical spindle having a circular groove in which string is wound; it is used by holding the string in the fingers and reeling the spindle up and down by movements of the wrist.
2. (finance) A volatile market that moves up and down.
3. (informal) Someone who vacillates.
4. (informal) A foolish, annoying or incompetent person.

   It is hard to watch the management for very long and not conclude that the place is run by a bunch of yo-yos.

Translations

toy

• Arabic: يويو (ar) (yūyū) m
• Catalan: io-io (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 溜溜球 (cmn) (liúliú qiú)

• Dutch: jojo (nl) m
• Finnish: jojo (fi)
• French: yo-yo (fr) m
• German: Yo-Yo (de) n
• Greek: γιογιό (el) (giogió) n 
• Hebrew: יו־יו (he) (yoyo)
• Hindi: योयो (hi) (yoyo) m, यो-यो (hi) (yo-yo) m
• Hungarian: jojó (hu)
• Japanese: ヨーヨー (ja) (yōyō)
• Korean: 요요 (ko) (yoyo)

• Marathi: योयो (mr) (yoyo) m
• Norwegian: jojo (no) m
• Persian: یویو (fa) (youyou)
• Portuguese: ioiô (pt) m
• Russian: йо-йо (ru) (jo-jó, jó-jo) n  (indeclinable)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: јо-јо (sh) m

  Roman: jo-jo (sh) m

• Spanish: yo-yo (es) m, yoyó (es) m
• Swedish: jojo (sv) c
• Thai: โยโย่ (th) (yoh-yôh)
• Turkish: yo-yo (tr)
• Ukrainian: йо-йо (uk) (jo-jó, jó-jo) n 
• Urdu: یو یو (ur) (yo yo) m

volatile market

someone who vacillates

Verb

yo-yo (third-person singular simple present yo-yos, present participle yo-yoing, simple past and past participle yo-yoed)

1. (intransitive) To vacillate; to move up and down.

Derived terms

• yo-yo dieting

See also

• diabolo
• whirligig