warden

¹ American  

[wawr-dn] / ˈwɔr dn /

noun

1. a person charged with the care or custody of persons, animals, or things; keeper.

   Synonyms:

   superintendent, caretaker, custodian, guard, guardian, warder

2. the chief administrative officer in charge of a prison.

3. any of various public officials charged with superintendence, as over a port or wildlife.

4. air-raid warden.

5. firewarden.

6. (in Connecticut) the chief executive officer of a borough.

7. (formerly) the principal official in a region, town, etc.

8. British.

   1. (initial capital letter) a traditional title of the president or governor of certain schools and colleges.

      Warden of Merton College.

   2. a member of a livery company of the City of London.

9. Canadian. the head of certain county or local councils.

10. a member of the governing body of a guild.

11. a churchwarden.

12. a gatekeeper.

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Warden ² American  

[wawr-dn] / ˈwɔr dn /

noun

British: Archaic.

1. any of several pears having a crisp, firm flesh, used in baking and cooking.

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warden ¹ British  

/ ˈwɔːdən /

noun

1. a person who has the charge or care of something, esp a building, or someone

2. any of various public officials, esp one responsible for the enforcement of certain regulations

3. a person employed to patrol a national park or safari park

4. the chief officer in charge of a prison

5. the principal or president of any of various universities or colleges

6. See churchwarden

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warden ² British  

/ ˈwɔːdən /

noun

1. a variety of pear that has crisp firm flesh and is used for cooking

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Other Word Forms

• subwarden noun
• subwardenship noun
• underwarden noun
• wardenry noun
• wardenship noun

Etymology

Origin of warden¹

1175–1225; Middle English wardein < Old French (northeast dial.), equivalent to ward- (root of warder to guard; ward ) + -ein, variant of -ien, -enc < Germanic -ing -ing ³

Origin of Warden²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English wardoun, wardon(e); of uncertain origin; perhaps from Anglo-French or Anglo-Latin wardō (inflectional stem wardōn-)

Example Sentences

It’s why he spends much of the film in uniform, as a traffic warden, as a member of a barbershop quartet, and later as the new member of Ray’s biker gang.

From Los Angeles Times

Guards are eyed differently, the warden’s mystique is diminished.

From The Wall Street Journal

While the money raised from the Cardiff levy will be decided following the public consultation, there are already calls to increase the presence of city centre wardens.

From BBC

At first the wardens respected his religious beliefs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Louisiana Department of Corrections involves whether an inmate of a minority religious group, the Rastafarians, can sue for monetary damages after the warden violated his religious rights – specifically, the right to not cut his hair.

From Salon

Related Words

• administrator
• caretaker
• curator
• superintendent