ward
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
ward¹
- /wɔːd/ UK
- /wɔɹd/ US
Sounds like warred · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)d
Where it comes from
From Middle English warde, from Old English weard (“keeper, watchman, guard, guardian, protector; lord, king; possessor”), from Proto-Germanic *warduz (“guard, keeper”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to heed, defend”). Cognate with Dutch waard, German Wart.
noun wards
- A warden; a guard; a guardian or watchman. th'aſſieged Caſtles ward Their ſtedfaſt ſtonds did mightily maintaine
ward²
- /wɔːd/ UK
- /wɔɹd/ US
Sounds like warred · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)d
Where it comes from
From Middle English ward, warde, from Old English weard (“watching, ward, protection, guardianship; advance post; waiting for, lurking, ambuscade”), from Proto-West Germanic *wardu, from Proto-Germanic *wardō (“protection, attention, keeping”), an extension of the stem *wara- (“attentive”) (English wary, beware), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover”).
Cognate with German Warte (“watchtower”), warten (“wait for”); English guard is a parallel form which came via Old French.
noun wards · warde
- The action of a watchman; monitoring, surveillance (usually in phrases keep ward etc.) Before the dore ſat ſelfe-conſuming Care, Day and night keeping wary watch and ward, For feare leaſt Force or Fraud ſhould vnaware Breake in[…]
- Guardianship, especially of a child or prisoner. So forth the presoners were brought before Arthure, and he commaunded hem into kepyng of the conestabyls warde, surely to be kepte as noble presoners.
- An enchantment or spell placed over a designated area or social unit, that prevents any trespasser from entering; approaching; or even being able to locate said protected premises or demographic. He need not have worried. For his wards were, as he had boasted, impervious to almost any power in the universe tonight. As he approached the royal bed, he was able to discern the faint protective aura still glowing around his young lord.
- A guarding or defensive motion or position. Thou knowest my old ward; here I lay, and thus I bore my point.
- Land tenure through military service.
- An area of a castle, corresponding to a circuit of the walls. 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[…].
- 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.
- A division of a forest.
- A subdivision of the LDS Church, smaller than and part of a stake, but larger than a branch.
- A part of a hospital, with beds, where patients reside. Since sick people were apt to be present, he could not always depend on a lively young crowd in the same ward with him, and the entertainment was not always good.
- A minor looked after by a guardian. After the trial, little Robert was declared a ward of the state.
- An underage orphan.
- An object used for guarding.
- The ridges on the inside of a lock, or the incisions on a key. A man muſt thorowly ſound himſelfe, and dive into his heart, and there ſee by what wards or ſprings the motions ſtirre.
ward³
- /wɔːd/ UK
- /wɔɹd/ US
Sounds like warred · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)d
Where it comes from
From Middle English warden, from Old English weardian (“to watch, guard, keep, protect, preserve; hold, possess, occupy, inhabit; rule, govern”), from Proto-West Germanic *wardēn, from Proto-Germanic *wardōną, *wardāną (“to guard”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to heed, defend”). Doublet of guard.
verb wards · warding · warded
- To keep in safety, to watch over, to guard. Whoſe gates he found faſt ſhut, ne liuing wight To ward the ſame, nor anſwere commers call
- To defend, to protect. Tell him it was a hand that warded him From a thousand dangers.
-
To fend off, to repel, to turn aside, as anything mischievous that approaches. (usually followed by off)
Draw forth thy ſword, thou mightie man at armes,
Intending but to raiſe my charmed ſkin:
And Ioue himſelfe will ſtretch his hand from heauen,
To ward the blow, and ſhield me ſafe from harme, […]
Similar: ward off
- To be vigilant; to keep guard. They for vs fight, they watch and dewly ward, And their bright Squadrons round about vs plant […]
- To act on the defensive with a weapon.
Ward⁴
- /wɔːd/ UK
- /wɔɹd/ US
Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)d
Where it comes from
* As an English surname, from the noun ward and related cognates such as warden, guard etc.
* As an Irish surname, reduced from McWard, from mac an bard (“son of the poet”).
* As a Jewish surname, adapted from Warshawski, named after Warsaw. Comparable to Warszawski.
* As a French surname, Americanized from Guerin.
proper noun Wards
- An English surname originating as an occupation for a guard or watchman.
- An English male given name.
- A parish of Castleknock, Fingal, Ireland.
- A river in Ireland; in full, Ward River.
- A small town in Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand, named after Joseph Ward.
- Ellipsis of Ward Beach: a coastline in Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand.
- An unincorporated community in Sumter County, Alabama.
- A city in Lonoke County, Arkansas.
- A town in Boulder County, Colorado.
- An unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Boone County, Indiana.
- A township in Randolph County, Indiana.
- A township in Todd County, Minnesota.
- A town in Allegany County, New York.
- A township in Hocking County, Ohio.
- A township in Tioga County, Pennsylvania.
- A town in Saluda County, South Carolina.
- A town in Moody County, South Dakota.
- An unincorporated community in Stevens County, Washington.
- An unincorporated community and coal town in Kanawha County, West Virginia.
- Ellipsis of Ward County
Ward⁵
- /wɔːd/ UK
- /wɔɹd/ US
Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)d
Where it comes from
A shortened form.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: guard, cellblock, hospital ward, asylum, headquarters, infirmary, guardianship, sickbay, barrio, borough, room, chamber, dormitory, service, dorm, neighbourhood
Translations
Every language
noun administrative subdivision of cities
| 한국어 | 구 gu |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 区 ku |
| 中文 | 區 /区 |
| Kiswahili | wodi |
| Português | freguesia |
| Français | arrondissement |
| Deutsch | Stadtbezirk |
| Русский | райо́н rajón, о́круг ókrug |
| Tiếng Việt | phường |
noun person under guardianship
| Español | pupilo, entenado |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 被後見人 hikōkennin |
| Português | tutelado |
| Français | pupille |
| Deutsch | Mündel, Pflegling |
| Русский | подопе́чный podopéčnyj, подопе́чная podopéčnaja |
| Tiếng Việt | trẻ tạm nuôi |
noun fencing term
| Français | garde |
|---|
noun area of a castle
| Français | cour |
|---|
noun Mormonism: subdivision of church
| Español | barrio |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 와드 wadeu |
| 日本語 | ワード wādo |
| हिन्दी | वार्ड vārḍ |
| Português | ala |
| Français | paroisse |
| Deutsch | Gemeinde |
| Italiano | rione |
| Ελληνικά | τομέας toméas |
| Русский | большо́й прихо́д bolʹšój prixód, прихо́д prixód |
| العربية | جَنَاح janāḥ |
noun part of a hospital where patients reside
| Español | sala, pabellón |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 병동 byeongdong, 병실 byeongsil |
| 日本語 | 病室 病棟 byōshitsu |
| 中文 | 病房 bìngfáng, 病室 bìngshì |
| Kiswahili | wodi, wadi |
| Português | enfermaria |
| Français | unité, pavillon |
| Deutsch | Station |
| Italiano | reparto |
| Ελληνικά | τμήμα tmíma |
| Русский | пала́та paláta |
| Tiếng Việt | khu, phòng |
| العربية | جَنَاح janāḥ |
noun on a lock or key
| Español | guarda |
|---|---|
| Português | guarda |
| Français | garde |
| Deutsch | Einschnitt, Aussparung |
verb To keep in safety; to watch; to guard
| Español | guardar |
|---|---|
| Português | guardar |
| Русский | охраня́ть oxranjátʹ, сторожить storožitʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | trông nôm |
verb To defend; to protect
| Español | guardar, proteger |
|---|---|
| Português | guardar, proteger |
| Русский | защища́ть zaščiščátʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | bảo vệ |
verb To fend off; to repel; to turn aside
| Português | proteger, defender |
|---|---|
| Русский | отража́ть otražátʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | tránh, đỡ, gạt, phòng, ngăn ngừa |
verb To be vigilant; to keep guard
| Русский | быть начеку bytʹ načeku |
|---|
Talk about this word "ward." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ward. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ward. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ward "ward." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ward.Cite this
@misc{ward_2026,
title = {ward},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ward},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
