guardian
[ gahr-dee-uhn ]
/ ˈgɑr di ən /
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noun
a person who guards, protects, or preserves.
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.
the superior of a Franciscan convent.
adjective
guarding; protecting: a guardian deity.
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Origin of guardian
1375–1425; late Middle English gardein<Anglo-French. See warden
how to pronounce guardian
Guardian is occasionally pronounced with two syllables and with stress on the final syllable: [gahr-deen]. /gɑrˈdin/. This pronunciation is now most characteristic of older, less educated speakers.
OTHER WORDS FROM guardian
guard·i·an·less, adjectiveun·der·guard·i·an, nounWords nearby guardian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use guardian in a sentence
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British Dictionary definitions for guardian
guardian
/ (ˈɡɑːdɪən) /
noun
one who looks after, protects, or defendsthe guardian of public morals
- law someone legally appointed to manage the affairs of a person incapable of acting for himself, as a minor or person of unsound mind
- social welfare (in England) a local authority, or person accepted by it, named under the Mental Health Act 1983 as having the powers to require a mentally disordered person to live at a specified place, attend for treatment, and be accessible to a doctor or social worker
(often capital) (in England) another word for custos
adjective
protecting or safeguarding
Derived forms of guardian
guardianship, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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