Where does “guardian” come from?
Guardian comes from Middle English guardian, from Old French guardein, from Frankish gardo, from Proto-Germanic gardaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰórdʰos and the root wer-.
guardian (English): Someone who guards, watches over, or protects; A...
Definitions
- Someone who guards, watches over, or protects; A...
Ancestry of “guardian”, step by step
guardian traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English garden
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | garden | Alternative form of gardyn; Alternative form of... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | guardein | protector; guardian; someone who keeps watch |
| 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 |