[yard] n [ME, fr. OE geard enclosure, yard; akin to OHG gart enclosure, L hortus garden] (bef. 12c) 1 a: a small usu. 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 usu. 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 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
[2]yard adj (15c) 1: of, relating to, or employed in the yard surrounding a building "~ light"
2: of, relating to, or employed in a railroad yard "a ~ engine" [3]yard vt (1758) 1: to drive into or confine in a restricted area: herd, pen
2: to deliver to or store in a yard ~ vi: to congregate in or as if in a yard [4]yard n [ME yarde, fr. OE gierd twig, measure, yard; akin to OHG gart stick, L hasta spear] (bef. 12c) 1: any of various units of measure: as a: a unit of length equal in the U.S. to 0.9144 meter b: a unit of volume equal to a cubic yard
2. a: a great length or quantity "remembered ~s 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 ~ 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