Where does “guard” come from?
guard (English) comes from Middle English garde, from Old French guarde, from Old French guarder, from Frankish wardēn, from Proto-Germanic wardāną, from Proto-Germanic *warduz, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
guard (English): A person who, or thing that, protects or watches...
Definitions
- A person who, or thing that, protects or watches...
Ancestry of “guard”, step by step
guard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English garde
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | garde | guardianship, safeguarding, covering, authority;... |
| 2 | Old French | guarde | protection; act of protecting; guard; inflection... |
| 3 | Old French | guarder | to protect; to guard; to look at |
| 4 | Frankish | wardēn | to protect; to guard, protect, watch over; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wardāną | to guard, protect, watch over |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *warduz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
via Middle French garder
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | garder | Alternative form of guarder |