The area of ground surrounded by or near farm buildings where farm animals live and work happens.
Compound of 'farm' (from medieval Latin 'firma' meaning fixed payment) and 'yard' (from Old English 'geard' meaning enclosed space). The compound became common in Early Modern English as farms became more organized.
The farmyard was the medieval and early modern version of a factory floor: everything happened there—from manure management to animal breeding to tools. Charles Dickens and George Orwell both used farmyards symbolically in their stories!
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