ward

A warden; a guard; a guardian or watchman.archaicobsolete

• th'aſſieged Caſtles ward Their ſtedfaſt ſtonds did mightily maintaine
• no gate they found, them to withhold, Nor ward to wait at morne and euening late […].

Protection, defence.; The action of a watchman; monitoring, surveillance (usually in phrases keep ward etc.)countableuncountable

• 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[…]

Protection, defence.; Guardianship, especially of a child or prisoner.countableuncountable

• 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.
• I must attend his majesty's command, to whom I am now in ward.

Protection, defence.; 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.countableuncountable

• 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.

Protection, defence.; A guarding or defensive motion or position.countableuncountable

• Thou knowest my old ward; here I lay, and thus I bore my point.

Protection, defence.; Land tenure through military service.countablehistoricaluncountable

A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; An area of a castle, corresponding to a circuit of the walls.countableuncountable

• 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[…].
• With the castle so crowded, the outer ward had been given over to guests to raise their tents and pavilions, leaving only the smaller inner yards for training.

A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; A section or subdivision of a prison.countableuncountable

A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; An administrative division of a borough, city or council.countableuncountable

• On our last visit to Tokyo, we went to Chiyoda ward and visited the Emperor’s palace.

A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; A division of a forest.UKcountableuncountable

A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; A subdivision of the LDS Church, smaller than and part of a stake, but larger than a branch.Mormonismcountableuncountable

To keep in safety, to watch over, to guard.transitive

• Whoſe gates he found faſt ſhut, ne liuing wight To ward the ſame, nor anſwere commers call

To defend, to protect.transitive

• Tell him it was a hand that warded him From a thousand dangers.
• they went to ſeeke their owne death, and ruſhed amidſt the thickeſt of their enemies, with an intention, rather to ſtrike, than to ward themſelves.

To fend off, to repel, to turn aside, as anything mischievous that approaches. (usually followed by off)transitive

• 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, […]
• Now wards a felling blow, now strikes again.

To be vigilant; to keep guard.intransitive

• 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.intransitive