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ward (wôrd)
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n.
1.
a. A room in a hospital usually holding six or more patients.
b. A division in a hospital for the care of a particular group of patients: a maternity ward.
2.
a. A division of a city or town, especially an electoral district, for administrative and representative purposes.
b. A district of some English and Scottish counties corresponding roughly to the hundred or the wapentake.
3. One of the divisions of a penal institution, such as a prison.
4. An open court or area of a castle or fortification enclosed by walls.
5.
a. Law A minor or a person deemed legally incompetent.
b. A person under the protection or care of another.
6. Archaic
a. The act of guarding or protecting; guardianship.
b. The act of keeping watch or being a lookout.
c. The state of being under guard; custody.
7. A defensive movement or attitude, especially in fencing; a guard.
8.
a. The projecting ridge of a lock or keyhole that prevents the turning or insertion of a key other than the proper one.
b. The notch cut into a key that corresponds to such a ridge.
tr.v. ward·ed, ward·ing, wards
Archaic
To guard; protect.
Phrasal Verb:
ward off
1. To turn aside; parry: ward off an opponent's blows.
2. To try to prevent; avert: took vitamins to ward off head colds.
[Middle English, action of guarding, from Old English weard, a watching, protection; see wer-3 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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