Guard (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Guarded; p. pr. &, vb. n.
Gurding.] [OF. guarder, garder, warder, F.
garder, fr. OHG. wart&?;n to be on the watch, await, G.
marten. See Ward, v. & n., and cf.
Guard, n.] 1. To
protect from danger; to secure against surprise, attack, or injury;
to keep in safety; to defend; to shelter; to shield from surprise or
attack; to protect by attendance; to accompany for protection; to
care for.
For Heaven still guards the right.
Shak.
2. To keep watch over, in order to prevent
escape or restrain from acts of violence, or the like.
3. To protect the edge of, esp. with an
ornamental border; hence, to face or ornament with lists, laces,
etc.
The body of your discourse it sometime guarded
with fragments, and the guards are but slightly basted on
neither.
Shak.
4. To fasten by binding; to gird.
[Obs.] B. Jonson.
Syn. -- To defend, protect, shield; keep; watch.
Guard (gärd), v. i. To watch
by way of caution or defense; to be caution; to be in a state or
position of defense or safety; as, careful persons guard
against mistakes.
Guard, n. [OF. guarde, F.
garde; of German origin; cf. OHG. wart, marto,
one who watches, mata a watching, Goth. wardja
watchman. See Guard, v. t.]
1. One who, or that which, guards from
injury, danger, exposure, or attack; defense; protection.
His greatness was no guard to bar heaven's
shaft.
Shak.
2. A man, or body of men, stationed to
protect or control a person or position; a watch; a
sentinel.
The guard which kept the door of the king's
house.
Kings xiv. 27.
3. One who has charge of a mail coach or a
railway train; a conductor. [Eng.]
4. Any fixture or attachment designed to
protect or secure against injury, soiling, or defacement, theft or
loss; as: (a) That part of a sword hilt
which protects the hand. (b) Ornamental
lace or hem protecting the edge of a garment.
(c) A chain or cord for fastening a watch to
one's person or dress. (d) A fence or rail
to prevent falling from the deck of a vessel.
(e) An extension of the deck of a vessel beyond
the hull; esp., in side-wheel steam vessels, the framework of strong
timbers, which curves out on each side beyond the paddle wheel, and
protects it and the shaft against collision.
(f) A plate of metal, beneath the stock, or the
lock frame, of a gun or pistol, having a loop, called a bow, to
protect the trigger. (g) (Bookbinding)
An interleaved strip at the back, as in a scrap book, to guard
against its breaking when filled.
5. A posture of defense in fencing, and in
bayonet and saber exercise.
6. An expression or admission intended to
secure against objections or censure.
They have expressed themselves with as few
guards and restrictions as I.
Atterbury.
7. Watch; heed; care; attention; as, to keep
guard.
8. (Zoöl.) The fibrous sheath
which covers the phragmacone of the Belemnites.
&fist; Guard is often used adjectively or in combination; as,
guard boat or guardboat; guardroom or guard room; guard duty.
Advanced guard, Coast guard,
etc. See under Advanced, Coast, etc. --
Grand guard (Mil.), one of the posts of
the second line belonging to a system of advance posts of an
army. Mahan. -- Guard boat.
(a) A boat appointed to row the rounds among
ships of war in a harbor, to see that their officers keep a good
lookout. (b) A boat used by harbor
authorities to enforce the observance of quarantine regulations.
-- Guard cells (Bot.), the bordering
cells of stomates; they are crescent-shaped and contain
chlorophyll. -- Guard chamber, a
guardroom. -- Guard detail (Mil.),
men from a company regiment etc., detailed for guard duty. -
- Guard duty (Mil.), the duty of
watching patrolling, etc., performed by a sentinel or sentinels.
-- Guard lock (Engin.), a tide lock at
the mouth of a dock or basin. -- Guard of
honor (Mil.), a guard appointed to receive or to
accompany eminent persons. -- Guard rail
(Railroads), a rail placed on the inside of a main rail,
on bridges, at switches, etc., as a safeguard against
derailment. -- Guard ship, a war vessel
appointed to superintend the marine affairs in a harbor, and also, in
the English service, to receive seamen till they can be distributed
among their respective ships. -- Life guard
(Mil.), a body of select troops attending the person of a
prince or high officer. -- Off one's guard,
in a careless state; inattentive; unsuspicious of danger. --
On guard, serving in the capacity of a guard;
doing duty as a guard or sentinel; watching. -- On one's
guard, in a watchful state; alert; vigilant. --
To mount guard (Mil.), to go on duty as
a guard or sentinel. -- To run the guard,
to pass the watch or sentinel without leave.
Syn. -- Defense; shield; protection; safeguard; convoy;
escort; care; attention; watch; heed.
