ward
Definitions from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Pronunciation
- Audio (US)help, file
- IPA: /wɔ:d/
- Rhymes: -ɔː(r)d
[edit] Etymology 1
Old English weard, from West Germanic *wardo-, an extension of Germanic stem *wara- "attentive" (English wary, beware), from PIE *wer- "to cover" (also in English weir). Cognate with German Warte ‘watchtower’; English guard is a parallel form which came via Old French.
[edit] Noun
|
Singular |
Plural |
ward (plural wards)
- Protection, defence.
- A protected place.
-
- (archaic) An area of a castle, corresponding to a circuit of the walls.
- 1942, Diocletian [...] must certainly have derived some consolation from the grandeur of Aspalaton, the great arcaded wall it turned to the Adriatic, its four separate wards, each town size, and its seventeen watch-towers... — Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (Canongate 2006, p. 149)
- A section or subdivision of a prison.
- An administrative division of a borough, city or council.
- On our last visit to Tokyo, we went to Chiyoda ward and visited the Emperor's palace.
- (Mormonism) A subdivision of the LDS Church, smaller than and part of a stake, but larger than a branch.
- A room in a hospital where patients reside.
- (archaic) An area of a castle, corresponding to a circuit of the walls.
-
- A person under guardianship.
- An object used for guarding.
[edit] Translations
guardianship
|
|
fencing term
area of a castle
section of a prison
|
administrative subdivision of cities
|
Mormonism: subdivision of church
|
|
hospital room
minor looked after by a guardian
|
on a lock or key
|
|
[edit] Etymology 2
Old English weardian, from West Germanic wardojan. Cognate with German warten ‘wait for’.
[edit] Verb
|
Infinitive |
Third person singular |
Simple past |
Past participle |
Present participle |
to ward (third-person singular simple present wards, present participle warding, simple past and past participle warded)
- (transitive) To keep in safety; to watch; to guard; formerly, in a specific sense, to guard during the day time.
- (transitive) To defend; to protect.
- (transitive) To fend off; to repel; to turn aside, as anything mischievous that approaches; -- usually followed by off.
- (intransitive) To be vigilant; to keep guard.
- (intransitive) To act on the defensive with a weapon.
[edit] Synonyms
- (to fend off): ward off
[edit] Translations
To keep in safety; to watch; to guard
|
To defend; to protect
|
To fend off; to repel; to turn aside
|
To be vigilant; to keep guard
To act on the defensive with a weapon

