yield

Etymology 1

From Middle English yielden, yelden, ȝelden (“to yield, pay”), from Old English ġieldan (“to pay”), from Proto-West Germanic *geldan, from Proto-Germanic *geldaną (“to pay”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeldʰ- (“to pay”). Cognates Cognate with Scots yield (“to yield”), North Frisian jilden (“to pay”), Saterland Frisian Saterland Frisian jäilde (“to be valid; matter; count; be worth”), West Frisian jilde (“to pay”), Low German Low German gellen, Dutch gelden (“to apply, count, be valued, be regarded”), German gelten (“to apply, count, be valued, be regarded”), Icelandic gjalda (“to pay, yield, give”), Danish gælde (“to apply, count, be valued, be regarded”), Norwegian Bokmål gjelde.

verb

1. to give
   1. (obsolete) To pay, give in payment; repay, recompense; reward; requite.
   2. To furnish; to afford; to render; to give forth.
   3. To give, or give forth, (anything).
      Despite all the evidence confirming the existence of the Protheans, little is known about their culture and society. From time to time, dig sites will yield new clues, but after 50,000 years of decay, little of value is unearthed. 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Protheans: Data Discs Codex entry
2. To give up; to surrender or capitulate.
   1. To give as demanded; to relinquish.
      They refuse to yield to the enemy.
   2. To give way; to allow another to pass first.
      Yield the right of way to pedestrians.
   3. (intransitive) To give way; to succumb to a force.
   4. (engineering, materials science, of a material specimen) To pass the material's yield point and undergo plastic deformation.
   5. (rare) To admit to be true; to concede; to allow.
3. to produce
   1. To produce as return, as from an investment.
      Historically, that security yields a high return.
   2. (mathematics) To produce as a result.
      Adding 3 and 4 yields a result of 7.
   3. (linguistics) To produce a particular sound as the result of a sound law.
      Indo-European p- yields Germanic f-.

Etymology 2

From Middle English ȝeld, from Old English ġield, from Proto-West Germanic *geld, from Proto-Germanic *geldą (“reward, gift, money”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeldʰ- (“to pay”). Cognates Compare West Frisian jild, Dutch geld, Low German and German Geld, Danish gæld, Swedish gäld, Icelandic gjald. See also geld.

noun

1. (obsolete) Payment; tribute.
2. A product; the quantity of something produced.
   Zucchini plants always seem to produce a high yield of fruit.
3. The explosive energy value of a bomb, especially a nuke, usually expressed in tons of TNT equivalent.
4. (law) The current return as a percentage of the price of a stock or bond.
   Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return. 2013-07-06, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68
5. (finance) Profit earned from an investment; return on investment.