yard

yard
I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English geard enclosure, yard; akin to Old High German gart enclosure, Latin hortus garden Date: before 12th century 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 (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 II. adjective Date: 15th century 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
>
III. verb Date: 1758 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 IV. noun Etymology: Middle English yarde, from Old English gierd twig, measure, yard; akin to Old High German gart stick, Latin hasta spear Date: before 12th century 1. any of various units of measure: as a. a unit of length equal in the United States to 0.9144 meter — see weight 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 horn-shaped glass about three feet tall; also the amount it contains <
a yard of ale
>

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • yard — yard …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • yard — [ jard ] n. m. • 1669; mot angl. ♦ Mesure de longueur anglo saxonne (0,914 m). ⇒ verge. ● yard nom masculin (anglais yard) Unité principale de longueur (symbole yd) du système de mesures coutumier dans les pays anglo saxons, valant 0,914 m. yard… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Yard — Yard, n. [OE. yard, yerd, AS. geard; akin to OFries. garda garden, OS. gardo garden, gard yard, D. gaard garden, G. garten, OHG. garto garden, gari inclosure, Icel. gar[eth]r yard, house, Sw. g[*a]rd, Dan. gaard, Goth. gards a house, garda… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Yard — 〈n.; s, s od. ; Abk.: yd.〉 engl. u. nordamerikanisches Längenmaß, 0,91 m [engl., „Gerte, Messrute“; verwandt mit Gerte] * * * Yard [engl.: jɑ:d ], das; s, s <aber: 4 Yard[s]> [engl. yard, eigtl. = Maßstab; Rute]: Längeneinheit in… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • yard — yard1 [yärd] n. [ME yerde < OE gierd, rod, staff, yard measure, akin to obs. Ger gerte, rod < IE * g̑hazdho , var. of base * ghasto , rod, pole > L hasta, pole, spear] 1. a) a unit of length in the FPS system, equal to 3 feet or 36… …   English World dictionary

  • Yard — Yard, n. [OE. yerd, AS. gierd, gyrd, a rod, stick, a measure, a yard; akin to OFries. ierde, OS. gerda, D. garde, G. gerte, OHG. gartia, gerta, gart, Icel. gaddr a goad, sting, Goth. gazds, and probably to L. hasta a spear. Cf. {Gad}, n., {Gird} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • yard — W2S2 [ja:d US ja:rd] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(measure)¦ 2¦(enclosed area)¦ 3¦(garden)¦ 4¦(back of house)¦ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Sense: 1; Origin: Old English geard, gierd stick ] [Sense: 2 4; Origin: Old E …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • yard — Ⅰ. yard [1] ► NOUN 1) a unit of linear measure equal to 3 feet (0.9144 metre). 2) a square or cubic yard, especially of sand or other building materials. 3) a cylindrical spar slung across a ship s mast for a sail to hang from. ● by the yard Cf.… …   English terms dictionary

  • Yard — Yard, v. t. To confine (cattle) to the yard; to shut up, or keep, in a yard; as, to yard cows. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • yard — [ jard ] noun count *** 1. ) AMERICAN an area around a house that is used for sitting, playing, and growing plants in. British garden a ) an enclosed area around a large building where people can do activities outside: a school/prison yard b ) a… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • yard — ‘enclosed area’ [OE] and yard ‘three feet’ [OE] are distinct words, both of ancient ancestry. The former probably goes back ultimately to Indo European *ghorto , which also produced Latin cohors ‘court’ (source of English cohort and court) and… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

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