yepsen

noun — 2 senses

yepsen

noun

Etymology From Middle English yespon, yepson, ȝespon, ȝespen, ȝispon (“a measure of volume equivalent to that contained in a person’s hands cupped together”), probably from Old English *ġēapsponn, *ġēapspann, from Old English *ġēap (“bent, curved”) + spann (“measure of the palm or hand”), equivalent to gap + span. Compare West Frisian gasp (“buckle, clasp”), Dutch gesp (“buckle, clasp”), Middle Low German gespe (“the cavity between the hands when held together”), Old Norse gaupn (“hollow made by cupped hands”). Doublet of gowpen.

1

UK, Dialectal, Obsolete Amount that can be held in two hands cupped together.

2

UK, Dialectal, Obsolete Two hands cupped together.

Synonyms
gowpen
Related terms
yeepsen

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.