yard1
n.
-
(abbrev.: yd)
a unit of linear measure equal to 3 feet (0.9144 metre).
▸a square or cubic yard, especially of sand or other building materials.
- a cylindrical spar, tapering to each end, slung across a ship's mast for a sail to hang from.
- US informal one hundred dollars.
Phrase
- by the yard
in large numbers or quantities.
Etymology
OE gerd, of W. Gmc origin.
yard2
n.
- chiefly Brit. a piece of uncultivated ground adjoining a building, typically one enclosed by walls.
▸an area of land used for a particular purpose or business:
a builder's yard.
- N. Amer. the garden of a house.
- W. Indian a house and the land attached.
▸a residential compound comprising a number of small rented dwellings around a shared open area.
▸S. African a plot of land accommodating a number of rooms let out as living space.
-
(Yard)
(among expatriate Jamaicans) home; Jamaica.
v.
- N. Amer. store or transport (wood) in or to a timber yard.
- put (farm animals) into an enclosure.
Etymology
OE geard ‘building, home, region’, from a Gmc base rel. to garden and orchard.