Main Entry:

¹guard

Pronunciation:

\ˈgärd\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English garde, from Anglo-French garde, guarde, warde, from garder, guarder, warder, to guard, defend, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wartēn to watch, take care — more at ward

Date:

15th century

1: one assigned to protect or oversee another: as a: a person or a body of persons on sentinel duty bplural : troops attached to the person of the sovereign cBritish : conductor b 2 a: a defensive state or attitude <asked him out when his guard was down> b: a defensive position (as in boxing)3 a: the act or duty of protecting or defending b: the state of being protected : protection4: a protective or safety device ; specifically : a device for protecting a machine part or the operator of a machine5archaic : precaution6 a: a position or player next to the center in a football line b: a player stationed in the backcourt in basketball

— off guard

: in an unprepared or unsuspecting state

— on guard

: defensively watchful : alert