yard

¹yard

noun \ˈyärd\

Definition of YARD

1

a : a small usually 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 usually 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 (as for dry-docked boats)

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

Origin of YARD

Middle English, from Old English geard enclosure, yard; akin to Old High German gart enclosure, Latin hortus garden

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Railroad Terms

cowcatcher, cupola, gauge, vestibule

Rhymes with YARD

bard, barred, card, chard, Dard, fard, guard, hard, lard, nard, pard, sard, shard

²yard

adjective

Definition of YARD

1

: of, relating to, or employed in the yard surrounding a building <yard light>

2

: of, relating to, or employed in a railroad yard <a yard engine>

First Known Use of YARD

15th century

Other Railroad Terms

cowcatcher, cupola, gauge, vestibule, yard

³yard

verb

Definition of YARD

transitive verb

1

: to drive into or confine in a restricted area : herd, pen

2

: to deliver to or store in a yard

intransitive verb

: to congregate in or as if in a yard

First Known Use of YARD

1758

⁴yard

noun

Definition of YARD

1

: any of various units of measure: as

a : a unit of length equal in the United States to 0.9144 meter — see weight table

b : a unit of volume equal to a cubic yard

2

a : a great length or quantity <remembered yards 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 glass about three feet tall having a flared opening and a bulbous bottom; also : the amount it contains <a yard 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

Origin of YARD

Middle English yarde, from Old English gierd twig, measure, yard; akin to Old High German gart stick, Latin hasta spear

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Weights and Measures Terms

avoirdupois weight, calorie, denier, kip, pace, twain

yard

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Unit of length equal to 36 inches, or 3 feet (see foot), in the U.S. Customary System or 0.9144 metre in the International System of Units. A cloth yard, used to measure cloth, is 37 in. long; it was also the standard length for arrows. In casual speech, a yard (e.g., of concrete, gravel, or topsoil) may refer to a cubic yard.