The word 'yardage' is a transparent Modern English compound, directly built from the native unit 'yard' and a productive French-derived suffix. The base 'yard' originates from the Old English word for a straight rod or stick, which naturally evolved into a standard unit of linear measurement. The suffix '-age', entering English via Norman French, commonly forms nouns indicating a collective sum or result related to the root word. Therefore, 'yardage' logically denotes the total aggregate quantity resulting from measurement in yards. Its specific application in American football, referring to ground gained, is a 20th-century extension of this core meaning, quantifying progress on the field.

Structure: yard (unit of length) + age (collective noun suffix) yard: From Old English gierd, gyrd (rod, stick, measure of length). In this compound, it functions as the core noun denoting the unit of measurement. age: From Old French -age, from Latin -aticum (noun-forming suffix denoting a collective, aggregate, or function). In this compound, it functions as a suffix that forms a noun meaning "a quantity or aggregate of" the base noun.