Where does “yard” come from?
Yard comes from Old English ġerd, from Old English ġeard, from Proto-Germanic gardaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʰórdʰos, derived from the root ǵʰer-.
yard (English): A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building
Definitions
- A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building
Ancestry of “yard”, step by step
yard traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English yerd
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | yerd | A fenced piece of land; a yard; A plot of land; a... |
| 2 | Old English | ġeard | garden, yard, fence, enclosure; yard, garden,... |
| 3 | Old French | guarde | protection; act of protecting; guard; inflection... |
| 4 | Old French | guarder | to protect; to guard; to look at |
| 5 | Frankish | wardēn | to protect; to guard, protect, watch over; to... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wardāną | to guard, protect, watch over |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *warduz | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
via Old English ġerd
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | ġerd | branch, twig, stick |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | gaʀdi | rod |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | gazdijō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | gazdaz | goad; spike |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰazdʰ- | — |
via Middle English yard
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | yard | Alternative form of yerd |