yard

noun \ ˈyärd \

Updated on: 13 Oct 2017

Definition of yard

1 a : a small usually walled and often paved area open to the sky and adjacent to a building : court

b : the grounds of a building or group of buildings

2 : the grounds immediately surrounding a house that are usually covered with grass

3 a : an enclosure for livestock (such as poultry)

b (1) : an area with its buildings and facilities set aside for a particular business or activity

(2) : an assembly or storage area (as for dry-docked boats)

c : a system of tracks for storage and maintenance of cars and making up trains

4 : a locality in a forest where deer herd in winter

Origin and Etymology of yard

Middle English, from Old English geard enclosure, yard; akin to Old High German gart enclosure, Latin hortus garden

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Other Railroad Terms

cowcatcher, cupola, gauge, vestibule

yard

adjective

Definition of yard

1 : of, relating to, or employed in the yard surrounding a building

yard light

2 : of, relating to, or employed in a railroad yard

a yard engine

First Known Use of yard

15th century

Other Railroad Terms

cowcatcher, cupola, gauge, vestibule, yard

yard

verb

Definition of yard

transitive verb

1 : to drive into or confine in a restricted area : herd, pen

2 : to deliver to or store in a yard

intransitive verb

: to congregate in or as if in a yard

First Known Use of yard

1758

yard

noun

Definition of yard

1 : any of various units of measure: such as

a : a unit of length equal in the U.S. to 0.9144 meter — see Weights and Measures Table

b : a unit of volume equal to a cubic yard

2 a : a great length or quantity

remembered yards of facts and figures

b slang : one hundred dollars

3 : a long spar tapered toward the ends to support and spread the head of a square sail, lateen, or lugsail

4 : a slender glass about three feet tall having a flared opening and a bulbous bottom; also : the amount it contains

a yard of ale

— the whole nine yards

: all of a related set of circumstances, conditions, or details

who could learn the most about making records, about electronics and engineering, the whole nine yards
—Stephen Stills

—sometimes used adverbially with go to indicate an all-out effort

Origin and Etymology of yard

Middle English yerd, yerde "stick, pole, rod, spar supporting a sail, unit of measure," going back to Old English gierd "stick, rod," going back to Germanic *gazdjō (whence Old Frisian ierde "stick," Old Saxon gerdia, Old High German gerta), derivative of *gazda- "stick, rod" (whence Old High German gart "stick," Old Norse gaddr "goad, spike," Gothic gazds "sting"), going back to dialectal Indo-European *ghazdh- "stick, something pointed" (whence Latin hasta "spear," Middle Irish gat "withe, osier," probably also gas "shoot, twig"), probably a loanword from an unknown source

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year