What does yiking mean?
Yiking is a rare English word for kayaking, the activity of travelling in a small, narrow boat propelled with a double-bladed paddle. A person taking part in the sport may be called a kayaker, while the more familiar name for the activity is kayaking. The word is chiefly encountered in dictionaries and in occasional written use rather than in everyday conversation, and it should not be confused with hiking, which takes place on foot. Like kayaking, yiking can be undertaken on rivers, lakes, coastal waters, and other suitable stretches of water. It is normally treated as an uncountable noun: someone may go yiking, plan a yiking trip, or spend a day yiking, but plural forms are uncommon. Knowing yiking adds an unusual alternative name to an established outdoor activity and reveals the creativity and variety of English word formation.
nounThe activity of paddling and travelling in a kayak; kayaking.
- The activity of travelling and paddling in a kayak.
"They spent the afternoon yiking along the sheltered coast."
"We went yiking on the lake before breakfast."
"Yiking proved to be a rewarding way to explore the island's coves."
Grammatically possible but uncommon; yiking is normally treated as an uncountable activity noun.
"The club organized evening yikings on the lake."
Yiking is kayaking with a shorter spelling—and a pronunciation that sounds like “eye-king.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of yiking
Yiking is recorded as an alternative form of kayaking and is best understood as sharing that word's form and meaning. The familiar word kayak ultimately comes from Greenlandic qajaq, denoting a small, narrow boat traditionally used by Inuit hunters. Through later English compound formation, kayak developed into kayaking for the activity and kayaker for the person undertaking it; yiking serves as a less common alternative to the longer form.
How yiking is actually used
This is a rare word and is normally treated as an uncountable activity noun. It is distinct from the present participle “yiking” in any unrelated modern use.
Easily confused with yiking
Yiking is a rare alternative name for the activity conventionally called kayaking.