warder

1
[ wawr-der ]
See synonyms for warder on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who guards something, as a doorkeeper or caretaker.

  2. a soldier or other person set to guard an entrance.

  1. Chiefly British. an official having charge of prisoners in a jail.

Origin of warder

1
1350–1400; Middle English warder(e) (see ward, -er1); compare Anglo-French wardere<Middle English

Other words from warder

  • ward·er·ship, noun

Other definitions for warder (2 of 2)

warder2
[ wawr-der ]

noun
  1. a truncheon or staff of office or authority, used in giving signals.

Origin of warder

2
1400–50; late Middle English &lt; ?

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use warder in a sentence

  • Then, before I could utter a word of remonstrance, Tom had dashed off, leaving me to my loathsome wardership.

    The Golden Magnet | George Manville Fenn
  • Mrs. Harrington would settle a liberal income on you, contingent, of course, of your faithful wardership over Allan.

    The Rose Garden Husband | Margaret Widdemer

British Dictionary definitions for warder (1 of 2)

warder1

feminine wardress

/ (ˈwɔːdə) /


noun
  1. mainly British an officer in charge of prisoners in a jail

  2. a person who guards or has charge of something

Origin of warder

1
C14: from Anglo-French wardere, from Old French warder to guard, of Germanic origin

Derived forms of warder

  • wardership, noun

British Dictionary definitions for warder (2 of 2)

warder2

/ (ˈwɔːdə) /


noun
  1. (formerly) a staff or truncheon carried by a ruler as an emblem of authority and used to signal his wishes or intentions

Origin of warder

2
C15: perhaps from Middle English warden to ward

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012