- (North American English)
a person who comes from or lives in any of the northern states of the US, especially New England 美国北方人；（尤指）新英格兰人 a soldier who fought for the Union (= the northern states) in the American Civil War （美国南北战争时的）北军士兵 - (also Yank)(British English, informal)
an offensive word for a person from the US; an American （美国南北战争时的）北军士兵
Word Originmid 18th cent.: origin uncertain; recorded in the late 17th cent. as a nickname; perhaps from Dutch Janke, diminutive of Jan ‘John’.