Schoolyard

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An outdoor space linked to a learning institution that provides a venue for students to engage in play and social activities
2. A recreational area adjacent to an educational facility that serves as a playground and gathering spot for students
3. A designated outdoor area associated with an educational establishment where students can partake in recreational and social interactions

Etymology: "Schoolyard" is a plain compound: "school" joined to "yard," with the sense of an enclosed open space. "School" came into English from Old English "scōl," borrowed from Latin "schola," itself taken from Greek "scholē," which originally meant leisure or spare time, the time free for discussion and learning. That is a nice inversion, since the place where children are now made to work once named the leisure in which thinking was done. "Yard" is the older half of the pair, descending from Old English "geard," meaning an enclosure, and it originally referred to a fenced or walled space rather than a patch of grass or a paved lot. The combined word simply names the enclosed ground a school uses for recess and games, with no special sense beyond its two parts.

Synonyms: playground, campus, school grounds, recess area, yard