7  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Ward  \Ward\,  v.  i. 
  1.  To  be  vigilant;  to  keep  guard. 
 
  2.  To  act  on  the  defensive  with  a  weapon. 
 
  She  redoubling  her  blows  drove  the  stranger  to  no 
  other  shift  than  to  ward  and  go  back  --Sir  P. 
  Sidney. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Ward  \Ward\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Warded};  p.  pr  &  vb  n. 
  {Warding}.]  [OE.  wardien,  AS  weardian  to  keep  protect;  akin 
  to  OS  ward?n  to  watch,  take  care  OFries  wardia,  OHG. 
  wart?n,  G.  warten  to  wait,  wait  on  attend  to  Icel.  var?a  to 
  guarantee  defend,  Sw  v[*a]rda  to  guard,  to  watch;  cf  OF 
  warder,  of  German  origin.  See  {Ward},  n.,  and  cf  {Award}, 
  {Guard},  {Reward}.] 
  1.  To  keep  in  safety;  to  watch;  to  guard;  formerly,  in  a 
  specific  sense  to  guard  during  the  day  time. 
 
  Whose  gates  he  found  fast  shut,  no  living  wight  To 
  ward  the  same  --Spenser. 
 
  2.  To  defend;  to  protect. 
 
  Tell  him  it  was  a  hand  that  warded  him  From  thousand 
  dangers.  --Shak. 
 
  3.  To  defend  by  walls,  fortifications,  etc  [Obs.] 
 
  4.  To  fend  off  to  repel;  to  turn  aside,  as  anything 
  mischievous  that  approaches;  --  usually  followed  by  off 
 
  Now  wards  a  felling  blow,  now  strikes  again 
  --Daniel. 
 
  The  pointed  javelin  warded  off  his  rage.  --Addison. 
 
  It  instructs  the  scholar  in  the  various  methods  of 
  warding  off  the  force  of  objections.  --I.  Watts. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  -ward  \-ward\  (w[~e]rd),  -wards  \-wards\  (w[~e]rdz).  [AS. 
  -weard,  -weardes;  akin  to  OS  &  OFries  -ward.  OHG.  -wert,  G. 
  -w["a]rts,  Icel.  -ver[eth]r,  Goth.  -va['i]r[thorn]s,  L. 
  vertere  to  turn,  versus  toward,  and  E.  worth  to  become 
  [root]143.  See  {Worth}.  v.  i.,  and  cf  {Verse}.  Adverbs 
  ending  in  -wards  (AS.  -weardes)  and  some  other  adverbs,  such 
  as  besides,  betimes,  since  (OE.  sithens).  etc.,  were 
  originally  genitive  forms  used  adverbially.] 
  Suffixes  denoting  course  or  direction  to  motion  or  tendency 
  toward;  as  in  backward,  or  backwards;  toward,  or  towards, 
  etc 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Ward  \Ward\,  n.  [AS.  weard,  fem.,  guard,  weard,  masc.,  keeper, 
  guard;  akin  to  OS  ward  a  watcher,  warden,  G.  wart,  OHG. 
  wart,  Icel.  v["o]r[eth]r  a  warden,  a  watch,  Goth.  -wards  in 
  da['u]rawards  a  doorkeeper,  and  E.  wary;  cf  OF  warde  guard, 
  from  the  German.  See  {Ware},  a.,  {Wary},  and  cf  {Guard}, 
  {Wraith}.] 
  1.  The  act  of  guarding;  watch;  guard;  guardianship; 
  specifically,  a  guarding  during  the  day  See  the  Note 
  under  {Watch},  n.,  1. 
 
  Still  when  she  slept,  he  kept  both  watch  and  ward. 
  --Spenser. 
 
  2.  One  who  or  that  which  guards;  garrison;  defender; 
  protector;  means  of  guarding;  defense;  protection. 
 
  For  the  best  ward  of  mine  honor.  --Shak. 
 
  The  assieged  castle's  ward  Their  steadfast  stands 
  did  mightily  maintain.  --Spenser. 
 
  For  want  of  other  ward,  He  lifted  up  his  hand,  his 
  front  to  guard.  --Dryden. 
 
  3.  The  state  of  being  under  guard  or  guardianship; 
  confinement  under  guard;  the  condition  of  a  child  under  a 
  guardian;  custody. 
 
  And  he  put  them  in  ward  in  the  house  of  the  captain 
  of  the  guard.  --Gen.  xl  3. 
 
  I  must  attend  his  majesty's  command,  to  whom  I  am 
  now  in  ward.  --Shak. 
 
  It  is  also  inconvenient,  in  Ireland,  that  the  wards 
  and  marriages  of  gentlemen's  children  should  be  in 
  the  disposal  of  any  of  those  lords.  --Spenser. 
 
  4.  A  guarding  or  defensive  motion  or  position,  as  in  fencing; 
  guard.  ``Thou  knowest  my  old  ward;  here  I  lay,  and  thus  I 
  bore  my  point.''  --Shak. 
 
  5.  One  who  or  that  which  is  guarded.  Specifically: 
  a  A  minor  or  person  under  the  care  of  a  guardian;  as  a 
  ward  in  chancery.  ``You  know  our  father's  ward,  the 
  fair  Monimia.''  --Otway. 
  b  A  division  of  a  county.  [Eng.  &  Scot.] 
  c  A  division,  district,  or  quarter  of  a  town  or  city. 
 
  Throughout  the  trembling  city  placed  a  guard, 
  Dealing  an  equal  share  to  every  ward.  --Dryden. 
  d  A  division  of  a  forest.  [Eng.] 
  e  A  division  of  a  hospital;  as  a  fever  ward. 
 
  6. 
  a  A  projecting  ridge  of  metal  in  the  interior  of  a  lock, 
  to  prevent  the  use  of  any  key  which  has  not  a 
  corresponding  notch  for  passing  it 
  b  A  notch  or  slit  in  a  key  corresponding  to  a  ridge  in 
  the  lock  which  it  fits;  a  ward  notch.  --Knight. 
 
  The  lock  is  made  .  .  .  more  secure  by  attaching 
  wards  to  the  front,  as  well  as  to  the  back 
  plate  of  the  lock,  in  which  case  the  key  must  be 
  furnished  with  corresponding  notches. 
  --Tomlinson. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  ward 
  n  1:  a  person  who  is  under  the  protection  or  in  the  custody  of 
  another 
  2:  a  district  into  which  a  city  or  town  is  divided  for  the 
  purpose  of  administration  and  elections 
  3:  a  division  of  a  hospital  (or  a  suite  of  rooms)  shared  by 
  patients  who  need  a  similar  kind  of  care  "they  put  her  in 
  a  4-bed  ward"  [syn:  {hospital  ward}] 
  4:  a  division  of  a  prison  (usually  consisting  of  several  cells) 
  [syn:  {cellblock}] 
  v  :  watch  over  or  shield  from  danger  or  harm;  protect;  "guard  my 
  possessions  while  I'm  away"  [syn:  {guard}] 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  Ward,  AL 
  Zip  code(s):  36922 
  Ward,  AR  (city,  FIPS  73130) 
  Location:  35.01886  N,  91.95503  W 
  Population  (1990):  1269  (506  housing  units) 
  Area:  8.3  sq  km  (land),  0.0  sq  km  (water) 
  Zip  code(s):  72176 
  Ward,  CO  (town,  FIPS  82735) 
  Location:  40.07250  N,  105.51128  W 
  Population  (1990):  159  (100  housing  units) 
  Area:  1.5  sq  km  (land),  0.0  sq  km  (water) 
  Zip  code(s):  80481 
  Ward,  SC  (town,  FIPS  74590) 
  Location:  33.85719  N,  81.73232  W 
  Population  (1990):  132  (59  housing  units) 
  Area:  2.0  sq  km  (land),  0.0  sq  km  (water) 
  Zip  code(s):  29166 
  Ward,  SD  (town,  FIPS  68660) 
  Location:  44.15536  N,  96.46079  W 
  Population  (1990):  35  (22  housing  units) 
  Area:  0.7  sq  km  (land),  0.0  sq  km  (water) 
  Zip  code(s):  57074 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Ward 
  a  prison  (Gen.  40:3,  4);  a  watch-station  (Isa.  21:8);  a  guard 
  (Neh.  13:30). 
 

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