I. ˈyärd, ˈyȧd noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English yarde, yerde, from Old English gierd, geard rod, twig, measure, yard; akin to Old High German gart stick, goad, Old Norse gaddr goad, spike, Gothic gazds goad, Middle Irish gat willow twig, Latin hasta spear
1. : any of various units of measure: as
a. dialect England : rod , pole , perch
b. obsolete : yard of land
c. : a unit of length equal in the United States to 0.9144 meter and in Great Britain to the distance at 62° F between two transverse marks on two gold plugs in a bronze bar kept at the Standards Office of the Board of Trade at Westminster — abbr yd. ; see measure table
d. : a unit of volume (as for sand or gravel) equal to a cubic yard
2. archaic : penis
3.
a. : a great length or quantity
his photographic memory enabled him to tuck away yards of facts and quotations — R.B.Nye
b. slang : one hundred dollars
4. : a long spar tapered toward the ends and set athwart a mast to support and spread the head of a square sail, lateen, or lugsail or to hoist signal flags : gaff — compare boom II 1; see ship illustration
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English yard, yerd, yerde, from Old English geard enclosure, court, yard; akin to Old High German gart enclosure, garto garden, Old Norse garthr yard, Gothic gards house, Latin hortus garden, Greek chortos farmyard, Sanskrit gṛiha house, harati he takes; basic meaning: to gird, enclose
1.
a. : a small usually walled and often paved vacant area open to the sky and adjacent to a building : court
b. : the grounds of a public building or group of buildings
inn yard
specifically : campus 1
college yard
c. : a usually high-walled open-air exercise area for prisoners
prison yard
2.
a. : the grounds immediately surrounding a house and usually comprising lawn, shrubbery and other plantings, recreation and service areas
front yard
b. : an area devoted to the cultivation of crops : garden , field
3.
a.
(1) : an enclosure for poultry or livestock
chicken yard
(2) : a group of beehives kept together and managed as a unit
b.
(1) : an area set aside for a particular business or activity
(2) : an assembly or storage area
rows of snowplows in the city yards
specifically : landing 2b
c. : a system of tracks and sidings usually at a railroad terminal used for storage and maintenance of cars and making up trains
4. : a locality in a forest where moose or deer herd in winter for feeding and protection
moose yard
III. adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from yard (II)
1.
a. : of, relating to, or employed in the yard or garden surrounding a house
yard light
yard boy
b. : belonging to or stationed in a courtyard
yard gate
yard dog
2. : of or from a run or enclosure for animals
yard dung
3. : attached to or employed by an establishment operating a yard
yard patrol
yard craft
4. : of, relating to, or employed in a railroad yard
yard clerk
yard engine
yard service
IV. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: yard (II)
transitive verb
1.
a. : to drive into or confine in a restricted area : herd , pen
the sheep were yarded at night — Rex Ingamells
b. : to confine to winter quarters
when the deer are yarded in deep snow — Hugh Fosburgh
2. : to deliver to or store in a yard
yard freight car
especially : to pile (logs) temporarily at a central point (as on a landing)
intransitive verb
: to congregate in winter quarters
mild winters, allowing deer to roam rather than yard — Wildlife Review
— often used with up
show a tendency to yard up near favorite feeding areas — Frank Dufresne
V. noun
•
- the whole nine yards