2021-8-18 · A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building. 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt''s Patients: ''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 ...