yardman

¹

[ yahrd-muhn ]

noun

, Nautical.

, plural yard·men.

1. a sailor assigned to the yards yard of a vessel.

yardman

²

[ yahrd-muhn ]

noun

, plural yard·men.

1. a person who works in a railroad yard, boatyard, lumberyard, or the like.
2. a person employed to care for the yard of a house, public building, etc., as by mowing the lawn and trimming shrubbery.

Word History and Origins

Origin of yardman¹

First recorded in 1885–90; yard ¹ + -man

Origin of yardman²

First recorded in 1815–25; yard ² + -man

Example Sentences

The yardman at my condo complex has been taking these drugs for years and he barely has any mind left.

From Seattle Times

Never mind that Mister Johnny hired a fulltime yardman a few months ago, name of John Willis.

From Literature

They were paying their respect to whatever it was that made him be a doctor in the first place, when the odds were that he’d be a yardman all of his life.

From Literature

The oddballs around her also lighten the mood: her hostile black housemaid; her dangerous, Byronic drug connection; and her wayward yardman.

From New York Times

Like a servant, a yardman, someone very low in the social order.

From New York Times