From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
courtyard
n : a yard wholly or partly surrounded by walls or buildings;
"the house was built around an inner court" [syn:
court]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Courtyard \Court"yard\ (k?rt"y?rd`), n.
A court or inclosure attached to a house.
[1913 Webster]