orchard

American  

[awr-cherd] / ˈɔr tʃərd /

noun

1. an area of land devoted to the cultivation of fruit or nut trees.

2. a group or collection of such trees.

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orchard British  

/ ˈɔːtʃəd /

noun

1. an area of land devoted to the cultivation of fruit trees

2. a collection of fruit trees especially cultivated

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Etymology

Origin of orchard

before 900; Middle English orch ( i ) ard, Old English orceard; replacing ortyard, Middle English ortyerd, Old English ortigeard (compare Gothic aurtigards garden), equivalent to ort- (combining form akin to wort ²; later identified with Latin hortus garden) + geard yard ²

Example Sentences

He crossed the border illegally sometime before he turned 20, making the migrant’s journey north from the avocado and lime orchards that surround his family’s small town in the state of Michoacán.

From Los Angeles Times

"Input costs have gone up, pesticides, labour, irrigation. But yields have gone down. Farmers are spending more money but earning less from mango orchards," he adds.

From BBC

She lived alone beyond the orchard, gathering herbs and other growing things and selling the medicines, ointments, and dyes she made from them.

From Literature

And I headed out to the apple orchard.

From Literature

Up at first light, I stepped out on the porch and stared across the yard, out at the fields, the orchard, and beyond.

From Literature

Related Words

• garden
• plantation