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Guardian - 6 dictionary results

guard⋅i⋅an

[gahr-dee-uhn]
–noun
1. a person who guards, protects, or preserves.
2. Law. a person who is entrusted by law with the care of the person or property, or both, of another, as a minor or someone legally incapable of managing his or her own affairs.
3. the superior of a Franciscan convent.
–adjective
4. guarding; protecting: a guardian deity.

Origin:
1375–1425; late ME gardein < AF. See warden


guard⋅i⋅an⋅less, adjective


1. protector, defender.


Guardian is occasionally pronounced with two syllables and with stress on the final syllable:[gahr-deen] . This pronunciation is now most characteristic of older, less educated speakers.
guard·i·an   (gär'dē-ən)   
n.  
  1. One that guards, watches over, or protects.
  2. Law One who is legally responsible for the care and management of the person or property of an incompetent or a minor.
  3. A superior in a Franciscan monastery.

[Middle English gardein, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French gardien, from alteration of gardenc, from garder, to guard; see guard.]
guard'i·an·ship' n.

Guardian

Guard"i*an\, n. [OF. guardain, gardien, F. gardien, LL. guardianus. See Guard, v. t., and cf. Wasden.]

1. One who guards, preserves, or secures; one to whom any person or thing is committed for protection, security, or preservation from injury; a warden.

2. (Law) One who has, or is entitled to, the custody of the person or property of an infant, a minor without living parents, or a person incapable of managing his own affairs.

Of the several species of guardians, the first are guardians by nature. -- viz., the father and (in some cases) the mother of the child. --Blockstone.

Guardian ad litem(Law), a guardian appointed by a court of justice to conduct a particular suit.

Guardians of the poor, the members of a board appointed or elected to care for the relief of the poor within a township, or district.

Guardian

Guard"i*an\, a. Performing, or appropriate to, the office of a protector; as, a guardian care.

Feast of Guardian Angels (R. C. Ch.) a church festival instituted by Pope Paul V., and celebrated on October 2d.

Guardian angel. (a) The particular spiritual being believed in some branches of the Christian church to have guardianship and protection of each human being from birth. (b) Hence, a protector or defender in general. --O. W. Holmes.

Guardian spirit, in the belief of many pagan nations, a spirit, often of a deceased relative or friend, that presides over the interests of a household, a city, or a region.
Language Translation for : Guardian
Spanish: tutor,
German: der Vormund,
Japanese: 後見人

Guardian

An individual who has been given the legal responsibility to care for a child or adult who is incapable of taking care of themselves due to age or lack of capacity. The appointed individual is often responsible for both the taking care of the ward (the child or incapable adult) and their affairs.

Also referred to as a "conservator" when referring to an adult in need of care.

Investopedia Commentary

The guardian is usually either named or appointed in a will or in a court of law by a judge. Often a parent will name a guardian to their children in the event of their death or inability to provide for their children.

Related Links

Three Documents You Shouldn't Do Without

See also: Beneficiary, Will


Main Entry: guard·ian
Pronunciation: 'gär-dE-&n
Function: noun
: one who has or is entitled or legally appointed to the care and management of the person or property of another —compare COMMITTEE, CONSERVATOR, CURATOR, RECEIVER, TUTOR
guardian ad li·tem
/-ad-'lI-t&m, -äd-'lE-tem/
: a guardian appointed by a court to represent in a particular lawsuit the interests of a minor, a person not yet born, or a person judged incompetent
guardian by nature
: NATURAL GUARDIAN in this entry
natural guardian
: a guardian by natural relationship having custody of the person but not the property of a minor
NOTE: Under common law the father is considered the natural guardian of a child until his death or incapacitation, whereupon the mother becomes the natural guardian. Many states have passed statutes giving both parents equal rights as guardians.
statutory guardian
: a guardian appointed by statutory authority
testamentary guardian
: a person named in a will to serve as a guardian —guard·ian·ship noun
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