A yard is an area of ground around a house or building, often used as a garden or play space. In some countries, a yard is also a unit for measuring length, equal to three feet or about 0.91 meters.
The place-word “yard” comes from Old English “geard,” meaning “fence” or “enclosure,” related to “garden.” The measurement “yard” likely comes from a different Old English word for a straight stick used as a measuring rod.
Curiously, one “yard” means a fenced area and another means a fixed length—same spelling, different roots. Both ideas link to something marked off: one in space (a plot of land), one in distance (a stretch of measure).
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