I. ˈwȯ(ə)rd, ˈwȯ(ə)d noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English weard (feminine); akin to Old High German warta act of watching, Old English weard (masculine) watchman, keeper, guard, Old High German wart, Old Norse vörthr, Gothic daur wards doorkeeper, Old English warian to beware, guard — more at ware
1.
a. : the action or process of guarding : watch , guard , keeping , protection , care — used especially in the phrase watch and ward
b. : wardship
c. : castle-guard
d. : wardholding
2.
a. : a group acting as guards : guard , watch
b. obsolete : garrison
3. : the state of being under guard or in guardianship ; especially : confinement under guard : custody
put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard — Gen 40:3 (Authorized Version)
4. : a place that is guarded or arranged for one in ward: as
a. : the inner court of a castle or fortress
b.
(1) obsolete : jail , prison
(2) : a division (as a cell, block, or wing) of a prison
c. Scotland : an enclosure for cattle
d.
(1) : a large room in a hospital where a number of patients are accommodated
a 4-bed ward
a 12-bed ward
(2) : a division in a hospital for the care of patients suffering the same disease
a diabetic ward
an isolation ward
5. : any of various administrative divisions: as
a. : a division, district, or quarter of a town or especially a city for representative, executive, or magisterial purposes that is often merely or chiefly a division for election purposes and as such is in the larger cities often subdivided into precincts
b. : a division of the English counties of Cumberland and Northumberland and of some Scottish counties corresponding to a hundred
c. : the Mormon local congregation having auxiliary organizations (as Sunday schools and relief societies) and one or more quorums of each office of the Aaronic priesthood
d. : an electoral district in the state of Louisiana
6. : a projecting ridge of metal in a lock casing or keyhole permitting only the insertion of a key with a corresponding notch ; also : a corresponding notch in a bit of a key
7. : a person who is under guard, protection, or surveillance: as
a. : a minor who is subject to wardship
b. obsolete : an orphan who is underage
c.
(1) : a person who by reason of minority, lunacy, or other incapacity is under the protection of a court either directly or through a guardian appointed by the court — called also ward of court ; see ward in chancery
(2) : the condition or status of a ward
d. : a person or sometimes a state, territory, or body of persons under the protection or tutelage of a person, public agency, or government
the Indians who were wards of the United States
8.
a. : a means of defense : protection
this staff is ward against the darts — Henry Treece
b. obsolete : a guarding or defensive motion or position in fencing
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English warden, from Old English weardian; akin to Old High German wartēn to observe, watch, take care, Old Norse vartha to guard; all from a prehistoric West Germanic-North Germanic verb akin to Old English weard watchman, guard
transitive verb
1. : to keep watch over : keep in safety or custody : serve as guard, guardian, or protector for
a warden's business is to ward the people who are put in his charge — Phil Stong
the bald mountains that ward the Cap Rock — Margaret Cousins
2.
a. : to fend off (a blow or weapon) : parry — usually used with off
shields his face with one arm … to ward off a blow — Inez Karma & Gilbert Millstein
b. : to turn aside (something threatening or harmful) : deflect — usually used with off
a magic charm to ward off evil — M.J.Herskovits
our nation has warded off all enemies — D.D.Eisenhower
intransitive verb
1. archaic : to fight defensively with a sword, shield, or other weapon : parry blows
2. obsolete : to take care : beware
Synonyms: see prevent