ˈchərch|wȯrd ə n, -ə̄ch-, -əich-, -ȯ(ə)d- noun
Etymology: Middle English chirche wardein
1. : a lay honorary parish official in the Church of England whose duties include the protection of the church building and property, the making and executing of various parochial regulations, and criticism though not control with respect to divine worship
2. : a church officer in the Protestant Episcopal Church whose duties though they vary in the different dioceses now relate chiefly to the oversight and management of the temporal affairs of the parish (as the care of the parish property and the raising of money)
3. Britain : a long-stemmed clay pipe