What does "yokozuna" mean?
The highest rank of sumo wrestler, above ozeki; grand champion.
Yokozuna
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The highest rank of sumo wrestler, above ozeki; grand champion.
- Grammar: yokozuna is listed as noun.
- Usage evidence: Akebono was victorious eleven times as a yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo, and lost thirteen times. The Japanese name he chose means "daybreak."
How to use "yokozuna"
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Meaning check
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Source and review context
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Before you rely on this definition
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The highest rank of sumo wrestler, above ozeki; grand champion.
"A yokozuna is the very highest rank in sumo – “just like Mameha's position in Gion,” as Nobu explained it to me. I had no reason to doubt him; but if Mameha ever took half as much time entering a party as these yokozuna took entering the ring, she'd certainly never be invited back."
- 2 A person holding the rank, either competing at the rank or retired after having achieved it.
"What mattered most was that, from the very top of the Nihon Sumo Kyōkai, Yokozuna Akebono had been shown respect."
Example
"Akebono was victorious eleven times as a yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo, and lost thirteen times. The Japanese name he chose means "daybreak.""
Common questions
How do you use "yokozuna" in a sentence?
Akebono was victorious eleven times as a yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo, and lost thirteen times. The Japanese name he chose means "daybreak."
Etymology
From Japanese 横綱(よこづな) (yokozuna, “wide rope”), the symbol of their rank worn about the waist.