Where does “courtyard” come from?

Courtyard comes from Old French cort, from Latin cohors meaning "enclosure" or "farmyard," ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer- meaning "to enclose."

courtyard (English): An area, open to the sky, partially or wholly...

Definitions

  1. An area, open to the sky, partially or wholly...

Ancestry of “courtyard”, step by step

courtyard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English court

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcourtAn enclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area...
2Middle EnglishcourtA courtyard; an enclosed space
3Old Frenchcortcourt
4Latincōrs—
5Latincohorsa court; a farmyard or enclosure; a retinue or...
6Latinco-allomorph of con-
7Latincōn-Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects
8Latincumwith, along with; at; -fold
9Old LatincomAlternative form of cum
10Proto-Italickomwith, along, at
11Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
12Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
13Middle Englishkyt—
14Germankittputty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes
15Old High Germankuti—
16Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
17Proto-Germanickweduzresin
18Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
19Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

via English Yard

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishYardScotland Yard or New Scotland Yard
2Englishmilliard10, a thousand million
3FrenchmilliardA milliard
4Frenchmillionmillion, 10
5Middle Frenchmillionmillion, 10
6Old Frenchmillon—
7Italianmilionemillion
8Italianmillethousand
9LatinMīllethousand; 1000
10Proto-Italicsmīɣeslīthousand
11Proto-Indo-Europeansmih₂ǵʰéslih₂—

Words derived from “courtyard”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →