3. A long piece of timber, as a rafter, etc. [Obs.]
4. A measure of length, equaling three feet, or thirty-six inches, being the standard of English and American measure.
5. The penis.
6. (Naut.)
Defn: A long piece of timber, nearly cylindrical, tapering toward the ends, and designed to support and extend a square sail. A yard is usually hung by the center to the mast. See Illust. of Ship. Golden Yard, or Yard and Ell (Astron.), a popular name the three stars in the belt of Orion. — Under yard [i. e., under the rod], under contract. [Obs.] Chaucer.
YARD Yard, n. Etym: [OE. yard, yerd, AS. geard; akin to OFries. garda garden, OS. gardo garden, gard yard, D. gaard garden, G. garten, OHG. garto garden, gari inclosure, Icel. gar yard, house, Sw. gård, Dan. g, Goth. gards a house, garda sheepfold, L. hortus garden, Gr. Court, Garden, Garth, Horticulture, Orchard.]
1. An inclosure; usually, a small inclosed place in front of, or around, a house or barn; as, a courtyard; a cowyard; a barnyard. A yard . . . inclosed all about with sticks In which she had a cock, hight chanticleer. Chaucer.
2. An inclosure within which any work or business is carried on; as, a dockyard; a shipyard. Liberty of the yard, a liberty, granted to persons imprisoned for debt, of walking in the yard, or within any other limits prescribed by law, on their giving bond not to go beyond those limits. — Prison yard, an inclosure about a prison, or attached to it. — Yard grass (Bot.), a low-growing grass (Eleusine Indica) having digitate spikes. It is common in dooryards, and like places, especially in the Southern United States. Called also crab grass. — Yard of land. See Yardland.
YARD
Yard, v. t.
Defn: To confine (cattle) to the yard; to shut up, or keep, in a yard; as, to yard cows.