Courtyard

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɔɹt.jɑɹd/

Definitions

1. A space usually surrounded by the outer walls of a building where people can gather and engage in recreational or communal activities
2. An open area enclosed by buildings that is often utilized for social interactions or relaxation amidst greenery and seating
3. An outdoor space that is typically bordered by structures and serves as a venue for social gatherings or leisure activities surrounded by landscaping and seating arrangements

Etymology: A courtyard is about as transparent as compounds get: "court" plus "yard." The interesting part is how each half came to mean what it does. "Yard" is the older and more physical of the two. In Old English "geard" meant an enclosure, a fenced or walled space, and it is related to "garden" and "girth," both of which carry the same idea of something hemmed in. Its sense of a measured length came much later and is a separate development. "Court" traveled a longer road. It came into English from Old French "cort," which descended from Latin "cohors," meaning an enclosed yard or farmstead, before the word came to mean a ruler's household and then a royal or judicial assembly. So the two words were once close in meaning: an enclosed space attached to a building. "Courtyard" puts them back together, naming the open space around which a building is arranged, a sense that predates the legal and royal uses most people now associate with "court."

Synonyms: yard, enclosure, court