[guard] n [ME garde, fr. MF, fr. OF, fr. garder to guard, defend, of Gmc origin; akin to OHG warten to watch, take care--more at ward] (15c) 1: one assigned to protect or oversee another: as a: a person or a body of persons on sentinel duty b pl: troops attached to the person of the sovereign c Brit: conductor
2. a: a defensive state or attitude "asked him out when his ~ 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; specif: 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
[2]guard vt (1500) 1: to protect an edge of with an ornamental border
2. a: to protect from danger esp. by watchful attention: make secure "police ~ing our cities" "a room ~ed by locked doors" b: to stand at the entrance of as if on guard or as a barrier c: to tend to carefully: preserve, protect "~ed their privacy" 3 archaic: escort
4. a: to watch over so as to prevent escape, disclosure, or indiscretion b: to attempt to prevent (an opponent) from playing effectively or scoring ~ vi: to watch by way of caution or defense: stand guard syn see defend -- guard.er n