Yardsmen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who works in yard maintenance or landscaping, often responsible for the upkeep of gardens, lawns, and outdoor spaces
2. Someone employed to perform tasks related to gardening, trimming, and planting in residential or commercial properties
3. An individual tasked with maintaining the cleanliness and appearance of external areas, including mowing, weeding, and planting flowers

Etymology: "Yardsmen" is the plural of "yardsman," a compound formed from "yard" and "man," with a linking "s" inserted between them. The "yard" here is the familiar word for an enclosed plot of ground, and "man" is the ordinary English noun for a person, so the word literally means a man who works in a yard. The linking "s" is the kind of connecting element that appears in a few older English compounds, such as "tradesman" and "sportsman," and it is a useful clue that the word was assembled from parts already in use rather than borrowed from another language. The sense has narrowed over time. A "yard" once referred to any enclosed ground, including gardens and farmyards, so a yardsman could be anyone tending such a space. The modern meaning, a worker who maintains gardens and grounds, follows that older sense of the enclosed plot.

Synonyms: workers, laborers, staff, crew, employees