n.
Pronunciation: ' gärd
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English garde, from Anglo-French garde, guarde, warde, from garder, guarder, warder, to guard, defend, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wart ē n to watch, take care ― more at WARD
Date: 15th century
1 : one assigned to protect or oversee another: as a : a person or a body of persons on sentinel duty b plural : troops attached to the person of the sovereign c British : CONDUCTOR B
2 a : a defensive state or attitude <asked him out when his guard was down> b : a defensive position (as in boxing)
3 a : the act or duty of protecting or defending b : the state of being protected : PROTECTION
4 : a protective or safety device specifically : a device for protecting a machine part or the operator of a machine
5 archaic : PRECAUTION
6 a : a position or player next to the center in a football line b : a player stationed in the backcourt in basketball
– off guard : in an unprepared or unsuspecting state
– on guard : defensively watchful : ALERT