vineyard

American  

[vin-yerd] / ˈvɪn yərd /

noun

1. a plantation of grapevines, especially one producing grapes for winemaking.

2. a sphere of activity, especially on a high spiritual plane.

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vineyard British  

/ ˈvɪnjəd /

noun

1. a plantation of grapevines, esp where wine grapes are produced

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Other Word Forms

• vineyardist noun

Etymology

Origin of vineyard

1300–50; Middle English ( see vine, yard ²); replacing win ( e ) yard, Old English wīngeard

Explanation

If you dream of one day growing grapes and making wine in the South of France, you hope to work at a vineyard, another name for a farm where wine grapes are grown. The French tradition of wine making is what led English speakers to adopt a French term for "grape plantation," although in South Africa it is called a "wine farm." Around 1300, the Old English term wingeard was replaced with the word vineyard. The trickiest thing about the word is its pronunciation — the first syllable doesn't actually sound like "vine," but instead is pronounced "vin."

Example Sentences

Meanwhile in Mendoza, Virginia de Valle is making a point of talking to visitors to her family's vineyard about the changes to the law.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Bertrand Degat, vineyard manager for French zero-alcohol wine producer French Bloom, winces visibly when recalling some of the criticism and snobbery he has encountered from his contemporaries.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

It has a pool, tennis court, gardens, a lake, an olive grove and a 25-acre vineyard, the outlet said.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025

The Estate Cab is a blend of various vineyard sites within the Alexander Valley, some of them high-elevation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

Early the next morning Mr. Sullivan showed us where his crop was, and after breakfast, Papa, Roberto, and I headed for the vineyard to pick.

From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez