Swiss Guard

noun

1. a member of a corps of bodyguards protecting the pope, with membership restricted to natives of Switzerland.

Swiss Guard

noun

1. the bodyguard of the pope, recruited from Swiss nationals

2. a member of this bodyguard

3. one of a group of Swiss mercenaries who acted as bodyguards to the French kings: destroyed in the Revolution

Word History and Origins

Origin of Swiss Guard¹

First recorded in 1690–1700