curtilage

[ kur-tl-ij ]

See synonyms for curtilage on Thesaurus.com

nounLaw.

the area of land occupied by a dwelling and its yard and outbuildings, actually enclosed or considered as enclosed.

Origin of curtilage

1250–1300; Middle English courtelage<Anglo-French; Old French cortillage, equivalent to cortil yard (cortcourt + -il diminutive suffix) + -age-age

Words Nearby curtilage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use curtilage in a sentence

In the most crowded parishes the houses had no sufficient curtilage, standing as they did in alleys and courts.
A History of Epidemics in Britain, Volume II (of 2) | Charles Creighton
They had been seen prowling about the curtilage of the ale-house the night before.
The Yeoman Adventurer | George W. Gough
Lincoln laid off his curtilage on a gentle hillock having a slope on every side.
The Life Of Abraham Lincoln | Ward H. Lamon
He shall also have the curtilage with the garden adjoining the hall on the north side enclosed as it is with hedges and ditches.
Parish Priests and Their People in the Middle Ages in England | Edward L. Cutts
The house-lot or family curtilage at first devolved strictly within the limits of the family.
The Common Law | Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for curtilage

curtilage

/ (ˈkɜːtɪlɪdʒ) /

noun

the enclosed area of land adjacent to a dwelling house

Origin of curtilage

C14: from Old French cortillage, from cortil a little yard, from cort court

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse