the.com/yelp

means To give a short, sharp cry of pain, alarm, or excitement — or, capitalized, the website where customers post such cries about businesses.

from From Old English 'gielpan,' meaning to boast or speak proudly — the same root behind the archaic word 'yelp' for a brag. Over centuries the meaning slid from loud boasting to loud crying out, until 'yelp' settled into the sharp little bark of a startled dog or a stubbed toe. The review site borrowed the name in the early 2000s, leaning on that sense of a sudden, attention-grabbing noise — a fitting cousin to its boastful Old English ancestor.