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Yard vs Alley - What's the difference?

yard | alley |

As nouns the difference between yard and alley

is that yard is a small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building (Wikipedia) while alley is a narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots or buildings.

As a verb yard

is to confine to a yard.

As a proper noun Yard

is Scotland Yard or New Scotland Yard

yard

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) yard, .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building ().
  • *
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage='Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard —peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.}}
  • An enclosed area designated for a specific purpose, e.g. on farms, railways etc.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1931, author=
    • , title=Death Walks in Eastrepps , chapter=2/2 citation , passage=A little further on, to the right, was a large garage, where the charabancs stood, half in and half out of the yard .}}
  • (Jamaica) One’s house or home.
    • Derived terms
    See also Yard * apple-yard * back yard, back-yard, backyard * barn-yard, barnyard * bone-yard, boneyard * brickyard * castle yard * chapel yard * churchyard * court-yard, courtyard * deer-yard, deeryard * dockyard * door-yard, dooryard * dung-yard * farm-yard, farmyard * fore-yard * front yard * graveyard * green-yard, greenyard * grip-yard * hemp-yard * hop-yard * inn-yard, innyard * junk-yard, junkyard * kailyard, kaleyard * kirkyard * knacker's yard * liberty of the yard * lumber-yard, lumberyard * marshaling yard, marshalling yard * mast-yard * navy yard, navy-yard * olive-yard * * palace yard * par-yard * poultry-yard * press-yard * rick-yard, rickyard * rope-yard * sale-yard, saleyard * schoolyard * scrapyard * shipyard * show-yard * stable-yard * stack-yard, stackyard * steelyard * stockyard * straw yard * switchyard * tan-yard, tanyard * tenter-yard * tilt-yard, tiltyard * timber-yard, timberyard * vinegar-yard * vineyard * wood-yard, woodyard * yardage * yard bird, yardbird * yard-boy * yard broom * yard-dike * yard-dog * yardful * yard grass, yard-grass * yardhove * yarding * yardland * yardman * yardmaster * yard-money * yardperson * yard sale * yardsman * yardswoman * yard work, yard-work

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To confine to a yard.
  • * 1893 , Elijah Kellogg, Good old times, or, Grandfather's struggles for a homestead
    • As they reached the door, Bose, having yarded the cows, was stealing around the corner of the pig-sty, and making for the woods.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) yerd, , German Gerte.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (nautical) A long tapered timber hung on a mast to which is a sail, and may be further qualified as a square, lateen, or lug yard. The first is hung at right angles to the mast, the latter two hang obliquely.
  • (nautical) Any spar carried aloft ().
  • A staff, rod or stick.
    • (Piers Plowman)
  • A unit of length equal to three feet (exactly 0.9144 metres in the US and UK; ).
  • * , chapter=1
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’
  • (US, slang) One hundred dollars.
  • (obsolete) The penis.
  • *, II.12:
  • *:there were some people found who tooke pleasure to unhood the end of their yard , and to cut off the fore-skinne after the manner of the Mahometans and Jewes.
    • Derived terms
    * all wool and a yard wide * by the yard * clay yard * cloth yard, cloth-yard * cubic yard * fore-yard, foreyard * golden yard * jackyard * main yard, main-yard * mast-yard * meteyard * mizen-yard, mizen yard, mizzen-yard, mizzen yard * royal yardman * sailyard * six-yard box * square yard * steelyard * under the yard * upper yardman * yardage * yard-arm, yardarm * yard-coal * yarded * yardel * yard-fell * yard goods * yardland * yard-long * yard-measure * yard of ale * yard of clay * yard of land * yard of lime * yard of mortar * yard of satin * yard of stone * yard of tin * yard-rope * yard-seam * yard-stick, yardstick * yard-wand, yardwand * whole nine yards

    Etymology 3

    Corruption of (etyl) milliard.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (finance) 109, A thousand millions or milliard.
    • I need to hedge a yard of yen.

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    alley

    English

    (wikipedia alley)

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) and (etyl) alee, feminine of .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots or buildings.
    • The parking lot to my friend's apartment building is in the alley .
  • (baseball) The area between the outfielders, the gap.
    • He hit one deep into the alley .
  • (bowling) An establishment where bowling is played; bowling alley.
  • (tennis) The extra area between the sidelines or tramlines on a tennis court that is used for doubles matches.
  • A walk or passage in a garden or park, bordered by rows of trees or bushes.
  • * Milton
    • I know each lane and every alley green.
  • A passageway between rows of pews in a church.
  • (perspective drawing) Any passage having the entrance represented as wider than the exit, so as to give the appearance of length.
  • The space between two rows of compositors' stands in a printing office.
    • Derived terms
    * alleyway * up someone's alley

    See also

    * alleyway * bunnyrun * gennel, ginnel, gunnel, jennel * jitty * lane * passage * snicket * wynd

    Etymology 2

    Diminutive of (alabaster).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A glass marble or taw.

    • Anagrams

    *