n.
In architecture, an outdoor room surrounded by buildings or walls.
Courts have existed in all civilizations from the earliest recorded times. The small garden court ( atrium ) of a Roman house was the center of domestic activity. In medieval Europe the court was a feature of all major residential buildings, as the cloister of a monastery, ward of a castle , or quadrangle of a college. A courtyard is often a utilitarian court (as for stables).