Plain-English definition
Yield is what a protocol pays you to supply liquidity, lend, or stake. It comes from somewhere: trading fees, borrower interest, or token incentives printed to attract you.
The honest question is always the source. Fees can support yield when activity persists and the protocol actually routes those economics to suppliers or holders. Token incentives are issuance and may end. High numbers with no visible source are a warning, not a gift.
Why it matters
Yield matters because crypto markets can look precise while still being shallow, crowded, or poorly sourced. A useful read is not just the number. It is the number, the size behind it, the context around it, and the part it cannot explain.
Simple example
A simple Yield example is a reader comparing two venues with the same headline price but different depth. The deeper venue can absorb more capital before the trade, peg, or yield reading starts to move against the user.
How Bathymark uses this term
Bathymark uses Yield to translate open market data into live liquidity readings. When the term touches a live page, the reading links back to the relevant chain, protocol, stablecoin, DEX, perps, or Signal so the source remains checkable.
Common mistake
The common mistake is treating Yield as a complete signal by itself. Bathymark treats it as one instrument: useful when read beside liquidity, source, size, and what the number cannot prove.