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Yard (land)
Encyclopedia
A yard is an enclosed area of land
, usually tied to a building
. The word comes from the same linguistic root as the word garden
and has many of the same meanings.
A number of derived words exist, usually tied to a particular usage or building type. Some may be archaic or in lesser use now. Examples of such words are: courtyard
, farmyard, hopyard
, graveyard
, churchyard
, brickyard
, prisonyard, railyard, and stableyard.
garðr, Russian gorod = "town" (originally as an "enclosed fortified area"), Latin hortus = "garden," hence horticulture and orchard), Greek χορτος = "hay
" (originally as grown in an enclosed field). "Girdle," and "court" are other related words from the same root.
In areas where farming is an important part of life, a yard is also a piece of enclosed land for farm animals or other agricultural purpose, often referred to as a cattleyard, sheepyard, stockyard, etc. In Australia portable or mobile yards are sets of transportable steel panels used to build temporary stockyards.
and Australasia
today, a yard can be any part of a property surrounding or associated with a house or other residential structure, usually (although not necessarily) separate from a garden
(where plant maintenance is more formalized). A yard will typically consist mostly of lawn
or play area. The yard in front of a house is referred to as a front yard, the area at the rear is known as a backyard. Backyards are generally more private and are thus a more common location for recreation. Yard size varies with population density. In urban centres, many houses have very small or even no yards at all. In the suburbs, yards are generally much larger and have room for such amenities as a patio
, a playplace for children, or a swimming pool
.
In British English
, these areas would usually be described as a garden
, similarly subdivided into a front garden and a back garden
, although paved areas may be called a yard -but more usually a patio
. In modern Britain
, the term yard is often used for depots and land adjacent to or among workplace buildings, as well as uncultivated land adjoining a building.
In North America the usage of the term garden relates to the area that contains productive plants, such as vegetables are put, and the term yard is not necessarily co-extensive with the garden though the garden must be an element of the yard.
Land
Land may refer to:*The part of the Earth that is not covered by water**Ecoregion*Landscape*Landform, physical feature comprises a geomorphological unit*Land , a factor of production comprising all naturally occurring resources*Land law...
, usually tied to a building
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
. The word comes from the same linguistic root as the word garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
and has many of the same meanings.
A number of derived words exist, usually tied to a particular usage or building type. Some may be archaic or in lesser use now. Examples of such words are: courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
, farmyard, hopyard
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
, graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
, churchyard
Churchyard
A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
, brickyard
Brickyard
A brickyard is a place or yard where the earthen building material called bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from.-See also:...
, prisonyard, railyard, and stableyard.
Word origin
The word "yard" came from the Anglo-Saxon geard, compare "garden" (German Garten), Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
garðr, Russian gorod = "town" (originally as an "enclosed fortified area"), Latin hortus = "garden," hence horticulture and orchard), Greek χορτος = "hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
" (originally as grown in an enclosed field). "Girdle," and "court" are other related words from the same root.
Application of the term
In North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
today, a yard can be any part of a property surrounding or associated with a house or other residential structure, usually (although not necessarily) separate from a garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
(where plant maintenance is more formalized). A yard will typically consist mostly of lawn
Lawn
A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
or play area. The yard in front of a house is referred to as a front yard, the area at the rear is known as a backyard. Backyards are generally more private and are thus a more common location for recreation. Yard size varies with population density. In urban centres, many houses have very small or even no yards at all. In the suburbs, yards are generally much larger and have room for such amenities as a patio
Patio
A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....
, a playplace for children, or a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
.
In British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
, these areas would usually be described as a garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
, similarly subdivided into a front garden and a back garden
Back garden
A back garden is a residential garden located at the rear of a property, on the other side of the house from the public street-side entrance and front garden.-Number and size of back gardens:In Britain there are over 10 million back gardens....
, although paved areas may be called a yard -but more usually a patio
Patio
A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....
. In modern Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the term yard is often used for depots and land adjacent to or among workplace buildings, as well as uncultivated land adjoining a building.
In North America the usage of the term garden relates to the area that contains productive plants, such as vegetables are put, and the term yard is not necessarily co-extensive with the garden though the garden must be an element of the yard.
See also
- Terrestrial ecoregion
- Pen (enclosure)Pen (enclosure)A pen is an enclosure for holding livestock. The term describes multiple types of enclosures that may confine one or many animals. Construction and terminology varies depending on region of the world, purpose, animal species to be confined, local materials used, and cultural tradition...
, an enclosure for domestic animals - YardbirdYardbirdA yardbird is post-Second World War African American slang for "prisoner", from the notion of prison yards. During the Second World War, in the armed forces it meant "basic trainee", as they spent most of their time in the yards....
American slang with several meanings - Scotland YardScotland YardScotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
the location of police headquarters in London