Yet, adv.
Etymology: [OE. yet, ýet, ýit, AS. git, gyt, giet, gieta; akin to OFries. ieta, eta, ita, MHG. iezuo, ieze, now, G. jetzo, jetzt.]
1. In addition; further; besides; over and above; still. "A little longer; yet a little longer." Dryden. This furnishes us with yet one more reason why our savior, lays such a particular stress acts of mercy. Atterbury. The rapine is made yet blacker by the pretense of piety and justice. L'Estrange.
2. At the same time; by continuance from a former state; still. Facts they had heard while they were yet heathens. Addison.
3. Up to the present time; thus far; hitherto; until now; -- and with the negative, not yet, not up to the present time; not as soon as now; as, Is it time to go Not yet. See As yet, under As, conj. Ne never yet no villainy ne said. Chaucer.
4. Before some future time; before the end; eventually; in time. "He 'll be hanged yet." Shak.
1 more senses
5. Even; -- used emphatically. Men may not too rashly believe the confessions of witches, nor yet the evidence against them. Bacon.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
Yet, n. (Zoöl.)
Any one of several species of large marine gastropods belonging to the genus Yetus, or Cymba; a boat shell.
Yet, conj.
Nevertheless; notwithstanding; however. Yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Matt. vi. 29.
Syn. -- See However.
Shades of meaning
Yet and still have many closely related senses, and, with verbs of past time, are often interchangeable; we may say "while he was yet a child," or "while he was still a child." Yet, like still, often applies to past action or state extending to and including the present time, especially when joined with as; we can say "he is feeble as yet," or "he is still feeble," with scarcely appreciable difference of meaning, except that the former statement implies somewhat more of expectation than the latter. Yet with a negative applies to completed action, often replacing a positive statement with still; "he is not gone yet" is nearly the same as "he is here still." Yet has a reference to the future which still does not share; "we may be successful yet" implies that success may begin at some future time; "we may be successful still" implies that we may continue to enjoy in the future such success as we are winning now.