'garden' originates from Old North French, specifically the word 'gardin' (also Old French 'jardin'), where the root 'gard-/jard-' meant 'enclosure' or 'protected place'.

'garden' changed from Old North French 'gardin' (also influenced by Old French 'jardin') into Middle English forms such as 'gardin'/'gardyn' and eventually became the modern English word 'garden'. The root is related to Germanic words for 'enclosure' (cf. Old English 'geard').

Initially, it meant 'an enclosed place' or 'enclosure'; over time it became specifically 'an enclosed area for cultivating plants' and now commonly means 'a plot for flowers, vegetables, or a managed public planting area'.