rearguard
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rearguard
- /ˈɹɪəɹˌɡɑɹd/
Where it comes from
From Middle English rier garde, from Anglo-Norman reregard, reregarde, rereguarde and Middle French rieregarde, from Old French rereguarde (attested in The Song of Roland, c. 1150), from rere (“after; behind”) + guarde (“guard”). By surface analysis, rear + guard. Piecewise doublet of retrogarde.
noun rearguards · rear guard · rear-guard
-
The rearmost part of a force, especially a detachment of troops that protect the rear of a retreating force.
Opposite: vanguard
- The defence, collectively the defenders. Mancini's side only showed enough ambition when it was too late and by then battle lines were drawn as James Collins and former City captain Richard Dunne fought a magnificent rearguard action at the heart of Villa's defence.
Translations
Every language
noun the rearmost part of a force
| Español | retaguardia, rezaga |
|---|---|
| Português | retaguarda |
| Français | arrière-garde |
| Deutsch | Nachhut |
| Italiano | retroguardia |
| Ελληνικά | οπισθοφυλακή opisthofylakí |
| Русский | арьерга́рд arʹjergárd |
| Tiếng Việt | đạo quân hậu tập |
| עברית | מְאַסֵּף measéf |
noun soccer: defence
| Português | zaga |
|---|
Talk about this word "rearguard." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rearguard. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. rearguard. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rearguard "rearguard." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rearguard.Cite this
@misc{rearguard_2026,
title = {rearguard},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rearguard},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
