name
Yana
YAH-nuh
name
1
A female given name from Slavic languages, a romanization of names such as Bulgarian, Russian, or Ukrainian Я́на.
"Yana moved to Berlin after finishing university in Kyiv."
noun
1
A member of an Indigenous Californian people who traditionally lived in the upper Sacramento River valley, or their now-extinct language.
"The Yana language is remembered for its strikingly different men's and women's speech forms."
2
In Buddhism, any of the "vehicles" or paths of spiritual practice, such as the distinction between Hinayana and Mahayana.
"Scholars debate how the different yana relate to one another in early Buddhist teaching."
How to Use Yana
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA woman's name; also the name of a Californian people and language, and a Buddhist term for a path of practice.
Word Forms
Yanas plural, Yana plural, yanas plural
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_____ moved to Berlin after finishing university in Kyiv.
Etymology
As a given name, cognate with "Jane," ultimately from Hebrew via the Greek form of John.