Английский Этимологический словарь - yard (2)

- "measure of length," O.E. gerd (Mercian), gierd (W.Saxon) "rod, stick, measure of length," from W.Gmc. *gazdijo, from P.Gmc. *gazdaz "stick, rod." In O.E. it was originally a land measure of roughly 5 meters (a length later called rod, pole or perch). Modern measure of "three feet" is 14c. Slang meaning "one hundred dollars" first attested 1926. Yardstick is 1816. The nautical yard-arm retains the original sense of "stick." Yardbird "convict" is 1956, from the notion of prison yards; earlier it meant "basic trainee" (World War II armed forces slang).