Definition of "courtyard" []

• An open space surrounded by walls or buildings, adjoining or within a building such as a large house or housing complex. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "José went off to the mules, and Bertie descended the ladder, and strolled round what they called the courtyard, looking for eggs among the rocks and in the tufts of grass growing higher up."
• "This courtyard is just outside the main precincts of my college, tucked away behind the old school of divinity and in the midst of a maze of buildings."
• "The courtyard is beautiful with nice sitting areas to relax."