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noun
1.
a division or district of a city or town, as for administrative or political purposes.
2.
one of the districts into which certain English and Scottish boroughs are divided.
3.
a division, floor, or room of a hospital for a particular class or group of patients: a convalescent ward; a critical ward.
4.
any of the separate divisions of a prison.
5.
a political subdivision of a parish in Louisiana.
6.
Mormon Church. one of the subdivisions of a stake, presided over by a bishop.
7.
Fortification. an open space within or between the walls of a castle or fortified place: the castle's lower ward.
8.
Law.
a.
a person, especially a minor, who has been legally placed under the care of a guardian or a court.
b.
the state of being under the care or control of a legal guardian.
c.
guardianship over a minor or some other person legally incapable of managing his or her own affairs.
9.
the state of being under restraining guard or in custody.
10.
a person who is under the protection or control of another.
11.
a movement or posture of defense, as in fencing.
12.
a curved ridge of metal inside a lock, forming an obstacle to the passage of a key that does not have a corresponding notch.
13.
the notch or slot in the bit of a key into which such a ridge fits.
14.
the act of keeping guard or protective watch: watch and ward.
15.
Archaic. a company of guards or a garrison.
verb (used with object)
16.
to avert, repel, or turn aside (danger, harm, an attack, an assailant, etc.) (usually followed by off ): to ward off a blow; to ward off evil.
17.
to place in a ward, as of a hospital or prison.
18.
Archaic. to protect; guard.
00:10
Ward
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English warde, Old English weard; (v.) Middle English warden, Old English weardian; cognate with Middle Dutch waerden, German warten; cf. guard
before 900; (noun) Middle English warde, Old English weard; (v.) Middle English warden, Old English weardian; cognate with Middle Dutch waerden, German warten; cf. guard
Related forms
ward·less, adjective
Synonyms
1. precinct. 10. protégé. 16. parry, prevent.
1. precinct. 10. protégé. 16. parry, prevent.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
(Aaron) Montgomery, 1843–1913, U.S. merchant and mail-order retailer.
2.
tə4.
Barbara ( Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth ) 1914–81, English economist and author.
5.
Mrs. Humphry ( Mary Augusta Arnold ) 1851–1920, English novelist, born in Tasmania.
6.
Sir Joseph George, 1856–1930, New Zealand statesman, born in Australia: Prime Minister 1906–12, 1928–30.
7.
Lester Frank, 1841–1913, U.S. sociologist.
8.
Nathaniel ( "Theodore de la Guard" ) 1578?–1652, English clergyman, lawyer, and author in America.
9.
a male given name.
-ward
a native English suffix denoting spatial or temporal direction, as specified by the initial element: toward; seaward; afterward; backward.
Also, -wards.
Origin:
Middle English; Old English -weard towards; cognate with German -wärts; akin to Latin vertere to turn (see verse)
Middle English; Old English -weard towards; cognate with German -wärts; akin to Latin vertere to turn (see verse)
Usage note
Both -ward and -wards occur in such words as backward, forward, upward, and toward. The -ward form is by far the more common in edited American English writing.
Both -ward and -wards occur in such words as backward, forward, upward, and toward. The -ward form is by far the more common in edited American English writing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Ward
Collins
World English Dictionary
ward (wɔːd) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | (in many countries) a district into which a city, town, parish, or other area is divided for administration, election of representatives, etc |
| 2. | a room in a hospital, esp one for patients requiring similar kinds of care: a maternity ward |
| 3. | one of the divisions of a prison |
| 4. | an open space enclosed within the walls of a castle |
| 5. | law |
| a. Also called: ward of court a person, esp a minor or one legally incapable of managing his own affairs, placed under the control or protection of a guardian or of a court | |
| b. guardianship, as of a minor or legally incompetent person | |
| 6. | the state of being under guard or in custody |
| 7. | a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another |
| 8. | a means of protection |
| 9. | a. an internal ridge or bar in a lock that prevents an incorrectly cut key from turning |
| b. a corresponding groove cut in a key | |
| 10. | a less common word for warden |
| —vb | |
| 11. | archaic (tr) to guard or protect |
| [Old English weard protector; related to Old High German wart, Old Saxon ward, Old Norse vorthr. See | |
| 'wardless | |
| —adj | |
| Ward (wɔːd) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | Dame Barbara (Mary), Baroness Jackson. 1914--81, British economist, environmentalist, and writer. Her books include Spaceship Earth (1966) |
| 2. | Mrs Humphry, married name of Mary Augusta Arnold. 1851--1920, English novelist. Her novels include Robert Elsmere (1888) and The Case of Richard Meynell (1911) |
| 3. | Sir Joseph George. 1856--1930, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1906--12; 1928--30) |
| -ward | |
| —suffix | |
| 1. | (forming adjectives) indicating direction towards: a backward step; heavenward progress |
| 2. | (forming adverbs) a variant and the usual US and Canadian form of -wards |
| [Old English -weard towards] | |
| -wards or -ward | |
| —suffix forming adverbs | |
| Compare -ward indicating direction towards: a step backwards; to sail shorewards | |
| [Old English -weardes towards] | |
| -ward or -ward | |
| —suffix forming adverbs | |
| [Old English -weardes towards] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
ward
O.E. weard "a guarding, a watchman, a sentry," from W.Gmc. *wardo (cf. O.S. ward, O.N. vörðr, O.H.G. wart). Used for administrative districts (at first in the sense of guardianship) from late 14c.; of hospital divisions from 1749. Meaning "minor under control of a guardian" is from early 15c.
Ward-heeler is 1890, from heeler "loafer, one on the lookout for shady work" (1870s).
-ward
adv. suffix expressing direction, O.E. -weard "toward," lit. "turned toward," sometimes -weardes, with genitive singular ending of neuter adjectives, from P.Gmc. *warth (cf. O.S., O.Fris. -ward, O.N. -verðr), variant of PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from base *wer- "to turn, bend" (see
versus). The original notion is of "turned toward."
ward
O.E. weardian "to keep guard," from P.Gmc. *wardojan- (cf. O.S. wardon, O.N. varða "to guard," O.Fris. wardia, M.Du. waerden "to take care of," O.H.G. warten "to guard, look out for, expect," Ger. warten "to wait, wait on, nurse, tend"), from *wardo- (see ward (n.)). Fr.
garder, It. guardare, Sp. guardar are Gmc. loan-words. Meaning "to parry, to fend off" (now usually with off) is recorded from 1571.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
ward (wôrd)
n.
A room in a hospital usually holding six or more patients.
A division in a hospital for the care of a particular group of patients.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Easton
Bible Dictionary
Ward definition
a prison (Gen. 40:3, 4); a watch-station (Isa. 21:8); a guard (Neh. 13:30).
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Example sentences
As the year wore on, the claim was repeated but seemed more and more desperate, as if it were a spell to ward off recession.
Fruit flies will purposely ingest alcohol to ward off parasitic wasps.
Ward was for many years a prominent figure in local and national politics.
Ward also hopes to partner with pharmaceutical companies.
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