ward
- a division or district of a city or town, as for administrative or political purposes.
- one of the districts into which certain English and Scottish boroughs are divided.
- a division, floor, or room of a hospital for a particular class or group of patients: a convalescent ward; a critical ward.
- any of the separate divisions of a prison.
- a political subdivision of a parish in Louisiana.
- Mormon Church. one of the subdivisions of a stake, presided over by a bishop.
- Fortification. an open space within or between the walls of a castle or fortified place: the castle's lower ward.
- Law.
- a person, especially a minor, who has been legally placed under the care of a guardian or a court.
- the state of being under the care or control of a legal guardian.
- guardianship over a minor or some other person legally incapable of managing his or her own affairs.
- the state of being under restraining guard or in custody.
- a person who is under the protection or control of another.
- a movement or posture of defense, as in fencing.
- a curved ridge of metal inside a lock, forming an obstacle to the passage of a key that does not have a corresponding notch.
- the notch or slot in the bit of a key into which such a ridge fits.
- the act of keeping guard or protective watch: watch and ward.
- Archaic. a company of guards or a garrison.
- to avert, repel, or turn aside (danger, harm, an attack, an assailant, etc.) (usually followed by off): to ward off a blow; to ward off evil.
- to place in a ward, as of a hospital or prison.
- Archaic. to protect; guard.
Origin of ward
Synonyms for ward
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comWard
- (Aaron) Montgomery,1843–1913, U.S. merchant and mail-order retailer.
- Ar·te·mas [ahr-tuh-muh s] /ˈɑr tə məs/, 1727–1800, American general in the American Revolution.
- Ar·te·mus [ahr-tuh-muh s] /ˈɑr tə məs/, Charles Farrar Browne, 1834–67, U.S. humorist.
- BarbaraBaroness Jackson of Lodsworth, 1914–81, English economist and author.
- Mrs. HumphryMary Augusta Arnold, 1851–1920, English novelist, born in Tasmania.
- Sir Joseph George,1856–1930, New Zealand statesman, born in Australia: prime minister 1906–12, 1928–30.
- Lester Frank,1841–1913, U.S. sociologist.
- NathanielTheodore de la Guard, 1578?–1652, English clergyman, lawyer, and author in America.
- a male given name.
-ward
- a native English suffix denoting spatial or temporal direction, as specified by the initial element: toward; seaward; afterward; backward.
Origin of -ward
Usage note
Related Words for ward
department, parish, precinct, care, division, territory, zone, diocese, area, canton, quarter, keeping, safekeeping, protection, dependent, orphan, pensioner, charge, client, pupilExamples from the Web for ward
Contemporary Examples of ward
You know, Ward, I think I understand my father more every day.
“I would recommend ginger tea first thing in the morning as a great way to ward off an upset stomach,” says White.
They were sent in to help educate villagers about how to ward off the lethal virus.
In that vein, Burns and Ward stress how TR, ER, and FDR “overcame … the traumas of their childhoods” and young adult lives.
Here, Burns and Ward not only introduce us to the diverse projects and achievements of the New Deal.
Historical Examples of ward
"Miss Ward's case has not yet been settled," she said slowly.
Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton CampusJessie Graham Flower
But are you quite certain that you are acting wisely, Miss Ward?
Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton CampusJessie Graham Flower
Small as the incident was, it marked a change in Sidney's position in the ward.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
She was back in the hospital again, this time in the children's ward.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
The ward sat up, remembered that it was not the Sabbath, smiled across from bed to bed.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
ward
- (in many countries) a district into which a city, town, parish, or other area is divided for administration, election of representatives, etc
- a room in a hospital, esp one for patients requiring similar kinds of carea maternity ward
- one of the divisions of a prison
- an open space enclosed within the walls of a castle
- law
- Also called: ward of courta person, esp a minor or one legally incapable of managing his own affairs, placed under the control or protection of a guardian or of a court
- guardianship, as of a minor or legally incompetent person
- the state of being under guard or in custody
- a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
- a means of protection
- an internal ridge or bar in a lock that prevents an incorrectly cut key from turning
- a corresponding groove cut in a key
- a less common word for warden 1
- (tr) archaic to guard or protect
Word Origin for ward
Ward
- Dame Barbara (Mary), Baroness Jackson. 1914–81, British economist, environmentalist, and writer. Her books include Spaceship Earth (1966)
- Mrs Humphry, married name of Mary Augusta Arnold. 1851–1920, English novelist. Her novels include Robert Elsmere (1888) and The Case of Richard Meynell (1911)
- Sir Joseph George. 1856–1930, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1906–12; 1928–30)
-ward
- (forming adjectives) indicating direction towardsa backward step; heavenward progress
- (forming adverbs) a variant and the usual US and Canadian form of -wards
Word Origin for -ward
Word Origin and History for ward
Old English weard "a guarding, a watchman, a sentry," from West Germanic *wardo (cf. Old Saxon ward, Old Norse vörðr, Old High German wart). Used for administrative districts (at first in the sense of guardianship) from late 14c.; of hospital divisions from 1749. Meaning "minor under control of a guardian" is from early 15c. Ward-heeler is 1890, from heeler "loafer, one on the lookout for shady work" (1870s).
Old English weardian "to keep guard," from Proto-Germanic *wardojan- (cf. Old Saxon wardon, Old Norse varða "to guard," Old Frisian wardia, Middle Dutch waerden "to take care of," Old High German warten "to guard, look out for, expect," German warten "to wait, wait on, nurse, tend"), from *wardo- (see ward (n.)). French garder, Italian guardare, Spanish guardar are Germanic loan-words. Meaning "to parry, to fend off" (now usually with off) is recorded from 1570s. Related: Warded; warding.
-ward
adverbial suffix expressing direction, Old English -weard "toward," literally "turned toward," sometimes -weardes, with genitive singular ending of neuter adjectives, from Proto-Germanic *warth (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian -ward, Old Norse -verðr), variant of PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus). The original notion is of "turned toward."
ward
(wôrd)- A room in a hospital usually holding six or more patients.
- A division in a hospital for the care of a particular group of patients.