Yard
in ordinary language, the British and American standard of measure, being equal to 3 feet or 36 inches. As a cloth measure the yard is divided into four quarters 16 nails. A square yard contains 9 square feet, and a cubic yard 27 cubic feet. A yard=91,4382 centimeters, a square yard=8,361.13 square centimeters, and a cubic yard= 764,535 cubic centimeters.
As a nautical term, a spar slung from a mast and serving to extend a sail.
Yards are either square, lateen, or lug sail. Yards for square sails are suspended across the mast at right angles, and are of a cylindrical form, tapering from the middle, which is termed the slings, toward the extremities, which are called the yard arms.