Yard the Measure and Yard the Enclosure Are Different Words
A yard is three feet, and also an enclosed area. The two have separate origins.
A yard is a unit of three feet, and also an enclosed area beside a building. They are separate words. The measure is Old English *gyrd*, a stick or rod, since it was measured with one. The enclosure is Old English *geard*, a fenced area, related to *garden*, *orchard* and Russian *gorod*, a town. The story that a yard was the distance from Henry I's nose to his thumb is a medieval anecdote with no contemporary evidence.
- Three feet. *A yard of cloth.*
- An enclosed area. *The back yard.*
- A ship's spar. *A yardarm.*
- Garden — a relative. *A garden.*
- Old English — *gyrd* and *geard*. *Two sources.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | yard | A yard. |
| Plural | yards | Yards. |
| Compound | yardstick | A yardstick. |
| Compound | courtyard | A courtyard. |
| Related | garden | A garden. |
- Three yards of fabric.Measure.
- Children played in the yard.Space.
- Gyrd meant a rod.Etymology.
The enclosure family
- Yard — a fenced area beside a building
- Garden — an enclosed cultivated plot
- Orchard — an enclosure of fruit trees
- Girdle — something that encircles
- Russian *gorod* — a town, from the same root
The measure is Old English *gyrd*, a rod. The enclosure is Old English *geard*, related to *garden*.
Was a yard the length of a king's arm?
The story about Henry I's nose to thumb is a medieval anecdote with no contemporary evidence.
Are the two yards related?
No. One means a measuring rod, the other a fenced enclosure, and they come from separate Old English words.