courtyard
UK[ˈkɔːtjɑːd]US[ˈkɔːrtjɑːrd]
n
an open space that is partly or completely surrounded by buildings and is often part of a castle, large house, hotel, etc.
Morpheme Breakdown
court
yard
court
enclosed area
yard
enclosed ground
Etymology
The word 'courtyard' is a tautological compound, where two synonyms from different linguistic lineages were combined for emphasis. The first element, 'court', entered English via Norman French from Latin cohors, which originally referred to an enclosed farmyard. The second element, 'yard', is a native English word from Old English geard, with the same core meaning of a fenced enclosure. By the late Middle English period, these two terms were fused to specify an open area enclosed by the walls of a castle, palace, or other large building. The redundancy strengthens the concept, clearly distinguishing it from a simple yard or a court of law.
Analysis
Structure: court (enclosed area) + yard (enclosed ground)
- court: From Old French cort, from Latin cohors (genitive cohortis) meaning "enclosure, yard, retinue." In this word, it functions as the core element denoting an enclosed space.
- yard: From Old English geard meaning "enclosure, garden, court." In this word, it functions as a reinforcing element, also meaning an enclosed area.
Examples
The hotel rooms all opened onto a beautiful central courtyard.
Children were playing in the castle's inner courtyard.
We ate our lunch at a table in the sunny courtyard.