patio

noun, plural pat·i·os.

1. an area, usually paved, adjoining a house and used as an area for outdoor lounging, dining, etc.
2. a courtyard, especially of a house, enclosed by low buildings or walls.

noun plural -os

1. an open inner courtyard, esp one in a Spanish or Spanish-American house
2. an area adjoining a house, esp one that is paved and used for outdoor activities

n.1818, “inner court open to the sky,” from Spanish patio probably from Old Provençal patu, pati “untilled land, communal pasture,” from Latin pactum “agreement” (see pact). Another theory traces the Spanish word to Latin patere “to lie open.” Meaning “paved and enclosed terrace beside a building” first recorded 1941. Patio furniture is attested from 1969.