A
yoke is a wooden
beam normally used between a pair of
oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, used in different cultures, and for different types of oxen. A pair of oxen may be called a
yoke of oxen, and yoke is also a verb, as in "to
yoke a pair of oxen". Other animals that may be yoked include
horses,
mules,
donkeys, and
water buffalo.