English▸ verb [with object] pull with a jerk:
her hair was yanked, and she screamed
[with object] he yanked her to her feet
[no object] Liz yanked at her arm.
▸ noun [in singular] a sudden hard pull:
one of the other girls gave her ponytail a yank.
– ORIGIN late 18th century (as a Scots word in the sense ‘sudden sharp blow’): of unknown origin.