guardian

American  

[gahr-dee-uhn] / ˈgɑr di ən /

noun

1. a person who guards, protects, or preserves.

   Synonyms:

   defender, protector

2. Law. a person who is entrusted by law with the care of the person, property, or both, of someone else, such as a minor or someone legally incapable of managing their affairs.

3. the superior of a Franciscan convent.

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adjective

1. guarding; protecting.

   a guardian deity.

guardian British  

/ ˈɡɑːdɪən /

noun

1. one who looks after, protects, or defends

   the guardian of public morals

2. 1. law someone legally appointed to manage the affairs of a person incapable of acting for himself, as a minor or person of unsound mind

   2. 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

3. (often capital) (in England) another word for custos

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adjective

1. protecting or safeguarding

Pronunciation

Guardian is occasionally pronounced with two syllables and with stress on the final syllable: . This pronunciation is now most characteristic of older, less educated speakers.

Other Word Forms

• guardianless adjective
• guardianship noun
• underguardian noun

Etymology

Origin of guardian

First recorded in 1375–1425; from late Middle English gardein, from Anglo-French. See warden

Example Sentences

The Wonderful Company, the corporate arm of Beverly Hills billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick, promotes itself incessantly as an exemplar of social responsibility and a guardian of sustainable agriculture.

From Los Angeles Times

Caroline Munro, Jordan's aunt and legal guardian, wants local health providers to get him back to his home city to be cared for.

From BBC

This idea echoes a long-standing hypothesis in sleep research -- and even in classical psychoanalysis -- that dreams may act as "guardians of sleep."

From Science Daily

According to its support page, children under 13 will also not be able to create an account without a guardian.

From BBC

After hundreds of generations of human breeding, the dogs that emerged had shorter muzzles, smaller teeth and an enormous range of sizes, from lapdogs to hulking guardians.

From BBC