I. ward 1 W3 /wɔːd $ wɔːrd/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: weard 'guarding' ]
1 . a large room in a hospital where people who need medical treatment stay
maternity/general/geriatric etc ward (=a ward for people with a particular medical condition)
on/in the ward
a young nurse in her first day on the wards
the other patients in the ward
2 . one of the small areas that a city has been divided into for the purpose of local elections ⇨ constituency
3 . law someone, especially a child, who is under the legal protection of another person or of a law court:
She was made a ward of court.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ parts of a hospital
▪ A&E/casualty British English , emergency room/ER American English the part of a hospital where people who are injured or who need urgent treatment are brought:
A&E waiting times have gone down.
|
A 33-year-old man was brought to the emergency room in a coma.
▪ operating theatre British English , operating room American English a room in a hospital where operations are done:
Mrs Barnett was in the operating theatre for 11 hours while the transplant was carried out.
▪ intensive care the part of a hospital where people who are very seriously ill or badly injured are cared for:
Mr Dye is in intensive care with head injuries.
▪ unit part of a hospital where a particular kind of treatment is carried out:
the burns unit
|
the fertility unit
▪ ward a large room in a hospital where people who need medical treatment stay:
the women's ward
|
She works as a nurse on a busy hospital ward.
II. ward 2 BrE AmE verb
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: weardian 'to guard, defend' ]
ward something ↔ off phrasal verb
to do something to try to protect yourself from something bad, such as illness, danger, or attack:
Don’t forget insect repellent to ward off the mosquitoes.
a spell to ward off evil spirits