yard etymology

Etymology of "yard"

The word "yard" has several etymological origins:

• Old English: "geard" or "gerd", meaning an enclosed space or compound
• Proto-Germanic: "gardoz", likely related to the root "gher-" meaning "to enclose"
• Indo-European: "*ghere-", meaning "to protect"

Meaning and Origin

Originally, a "yard" referred to an enclosed space around a house or other building, used for various purposes such as storage, animals, or cultivation.

Over time, the meaning of "yard" has evolved and now primarily refers to:

• Measurement of Length: A unit of measurement equal to 3 feet in the English customary system and 0.914 meters in the metric system.
• Outdoor Area: A small, enclosed area adjacent to a house, often used for recreation, gardening, or storage.
• Railway or Shipyard: An area used for storing, repairing, or building railway cars or ships.
• Slang: A period of time or distance, typically "a yard" or "a yard long".

yard relate terms

• shipyard

  Etymology Shipyard is derived from the Old English words scip ship and geard en

• ship

  Etymology The word ship ultimately derives from the Proto Germanic skīpam meaning

• yard

  Etymology of yard The word yard has several etymological origins Old English gea

• yard arm

  Etymology and Meaning of Yard Arm The term yard arm has its origins in the nautical l

• yard

  Etymology of yard The word yard has several etymological origins Old English gea

• barnyard

  Etymology The word barnyard is a combination of two Old English words bær noun

• hangar

  Etymology Hangar is an English word derived from the Old Norse word hangarr meaning

• antenna

  Etymology The word antenna derives from the Latin word antenna which refers to the m

• Midgard

  Etymology Old Norse Miðgarðr Miðr middle center Garðr fence enclosure

• Elmo

  Etymology and Meaning The name Elmo is derived from the Germanic word helm meaning

• commensurable

  Etymology Latin commensurabilis Late Latin communis common mensura measure Mea

• cape

  Etymology The word cape originates from the Middle English cappe which itself is de