/ ˈwɔːdə(r); NAmE ˈwɔːrd-/ ( feminine ward·ress / ˈwɔːdrəs; NAmE ˈwɔːrd-/) noun
( BrE ) a person who guards prisoners in a prison
—compare guard noun (1)
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (denoting a watchman or sentinel): from Anglo-Norman French wardere , from Old Northern French warder to guard. The current sense dates from the mid 19th cent.