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ward |
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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