courtyard

/ˌkɔrtˈjɑrd/

/ˈkɔtjɒd/

Other forms: courtyards

A courtyard is an area outside a building that's framed and somewhat enclosed by walls. Your friend might ask you to meet her in the courtyard of her apartment complex.

In cities, courtyards provide small, private outdoor areas. Courtyards are often nestled between buildings, or tucked away behind them. For nearly as long as people have built houses and buildings, courtyards have existed — although in the past, they were used for keeping animals, cooking over an open fire, and sometimes even sleeping. The word dates from the 1550s, combining court, from the Latin cohors, "enclosed yard," and yard, from a Germanic root also meaning "enclosure."

Definitions of courtyard

1. noun

   an area wholly or partly surrounded by walls or buildings
   synonyms: court

   types:

   atrium

   the central area in a building; open to the sky

   bailey

   the outer courtyard of a castle

   cloister

   a courtyard with covered walks (as in religious institutions)

   food court

   an area (as in a shopping mall) where fast food is sold (usually around a common eating area)

   forecourt

   the outer or front court of a building or of a group of buildings

   parvis

   a courtyard or portico in front of a building (especially a cathedral)

   type of:

   area

   a part of a structure having some specific characteristic or function