yard

yard
\ \ Yardenclosed area’ [OE] and yardthree feet’ [OE] are distinct words, both of ancient ancestry. The former probably goes back ultimately to Indo-European *ghorto-, which also produced Latin cohorscourt’ (source of English cohort and court) and hortusgarden’ (source of English horticulture) and Russian gorodtown’ (as in Leningrad). Its prehistoric Germanic descendant was *gard-, which, as well as providing English with yard, has produced garden, garth [14] (via Old Norse), and the second syllable of orchard. Yardthree feet’ originally meant ‘stick, rod’ (a sense preserved nautically, as in yardarm [16]). It goes back ultimately to prehistoric Germanic *gazdazpointed stick’ (source of the gad of gadfly [16], etymologically the fly with the ‘sting’). From this was derived West Germanic *gazdjō, which evolved into German gertesapling, riding cane’, Dutch gardtwig, rod’, and English yard. The Anglo-Saxons used the term as a unit of measurement of land, equal to about five metres (what later became known as a rod, pole, or perch), but its modern use for ‘three feet’ did not emerge until the 14th century.
\ \ Cf.COHORT, COURT, GARDEN, GARTH, HORTICULTURE, ORCHARD; GADFLY

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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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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