guard
pronunciation
How to pronounce guard in British English:
UK [ɡɑːd]
How to pronounce guard in American English:
US [ɡɑːrd]
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- Noun:
- a person who keeps watch over something or someone
- the person who plays that position on a football team
- a device designed to prevent injury
- a posture of defence in boxing or fencing
- the person who plays the position of guard on a basketball team
- a group of men who escort and protect some important person
- a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.
- the duty of serving as a sentry
- a position on the line of scrimmage
- a position on a basketball team
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- Verb:
- to keep watch over
- watch over or shield from danger or harm; protect
- protect against a challenge or attack
- take precautions in order to avoid some unwanted consequence
Word Origin
- guard
- guard: [15] Prehistoric West Germanic *warthōn produced English ward. It was borrowed into Vulgar Latin as *wardāre, and following the general phonetic trend by which Germanic initial w became g(u) in the Romance languages, it produced Italian guardare, Spanish guardar, and French garder. The noun derived from the latter, garde, gave English guard. Guardian [15], borrowed from Old French gardien, has a doublet in warden.=> ward
- guard (n.)
- early 15c., "one who keeps watch, a body of soldiers," also "care, custody, guardianship," and the name of a part of a piece of armor, from Middle French garde "guardian, warden, keeper; watching, keeping, custody," from Old French garder "to keep, maintain, preserve, protect" (see guard (v.)). Abstract or collective sense of "a keeping, a custody" (as in bodyguard) also is from early 15c. Sword-play and fisticuffs sense is from 1590s; hence to be on guard (1640s) or off (one's) guard (1680s). As a football position, from 1889. Guard-rail attested from 1860, originally on railroad tracks and running beside the rail on the outside; the guide-rail running between the rails.
- guard (v.)
- mid-15c., from guard (n.) or from Old French garder "to keep watch over, guard, protect, maintain, preserve" (corresponding to Old North French warder, see gu-), from Frankish *wardon, from Proto-Germanic *wardon "to guard" (see ward (v.)). Italian guardare, Spanish guardar also are from Germanic. Related: Guarded; guarding.
Example
- 1. Luckily there was a guard on duty .
- 2. Authorities had loaded up 10 of its coast guard ships with police officers .
- 3. The guard suffered a broken arm among other injuries and is currently hospitalized .
- 4. The if condition after the tuple is a guard .
- 5. A guard opens the door and maricruz enters .