guardian

See also: Guardian, guardiān, and guardián

English

Etymology

From Middle English gardein, garden, (also wardein, > Modern English warden), from Old French guardein, from the verb guarder, of Germanic origin. Compare French gardien. Doublet of warden.

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑɹ.di.ən/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑː.dɪən/
(US, dialectal) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑɹ.din/ (see guardeen)
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)dɪən

Noun

guardian (plural guardians)

Someone who guards, watches over, or protects.
- 1791, John Walker, A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary […] ‎, London: Sold by G. G. J. and J. Robinſon, Paternoſter Row; and T. Cadell, in the Strand, OCLC 37805775, page 162:
  Thoſe who ought to be the guardians of propriety are often the perverters of it. Hence Accidence for Accidents, Prepoſtor for Prepoſitor and Conſtur for Conſtrue […]
- 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, page 52::
  As your Senior Tutor, I am your moral guardian,’ he said at last. ‘A moral guardian yearns for an immoral ward and the Lord has provided.
(law) A person legally responsible for a minor (in loco parentis).
(law) A person legally responsible for an incompetent person.
A superior in a Franciscan monastery.
(video games) A major or final enemy; boss.
- 1993, Zach Meston; J. Douglas Arnold, Awesome Super Nintendo Secrets 2:
  Secret weak points of bosses/guardians.
- 2004, James Newman, Videogames:
  'if you tell me how to find the secret door in level three, I'll tell you how to defeat the end of level guardian'

Derived terms

guardian angel
guardianship
guard

Descendants

→ Japanese: ガーディアン (gādian)

Translations

guard or watcher

Arabic: حَارِس‎ m (ḥāris)
Azerbaijani: qoruqçu
Belarusian: ахо́ўнiк m (axóŭnik), ахо́ўнiца f (axóŭnica), сто́раж m (stóraž), страж m (straž)
Bengali: মহাফেজ (bn) (môhafez)
Bulgarian: пази́тел (bg) m (pazítel), блюсти́тел (bg) m (bljustítel)
Catalan: guardià (ca) m, guàrdia (ca) m
Cherokee: ᎠᏓᎦᏘᏯ (adagatiya)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 監護人／监护人 (zh) (jiānhùrén)
Czech: strážce (cs) m
Dutch: bewaker (nl) m, wachter (nl) m
Egyptian:

(jrj)
Finnish: vartija (fi), vahti (fi), suojelija (fi), edunvalvoja (fi)
French: gardien (fr) m
Galician: gardián m
German: Wächter (de) m, Wache (de) f
Greek: φύλακας (el) m (fýlakas), φρουρός (el) (frourós)
Ancient: φύλαξ m (phúlax)
Hungarian: gondnok (hu), gondozó (hu), őrző (hu), őr (hu)
Icelandic: verndari m
Indonesian: pelindung (id)
Irish: coimirceoir m
Italian: guardiano (it) m, custode (it) m
Japanese: 保護者 (ja) (ほごしゃ, hogosha)
Korean: 보호자(保護者) (ko) (bohoja)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: پاڕێزگار‎ (parrêzgar)
Latin: custōs m or f, curātor (la) m, curātrix f, tutor m, cura (la) f, praeses (la) m
Maori: kaitiaki
Occitan: gardian m
Old English: weard m
Polish: stróż (pl) m, obrońca (pl) m, strażnik (pl) m
Portuguese: guardião (pt) m, guarda (pt) m
Romanian: gardian (ro) m, paznic (ro) m, strajă (ro) f, străjer (ro) m, păzitor (ro) m
Russian: страж (ru) m (straž), храни́тель (ru) m (xranítelʹ), храни́тельница (ru) f (xranítelʹnica), защи́тник (ru) m (zaščítnik), защи́тница (ru) f (zaščítnica), блюсти́тель (ru) m (bljustítelʹ), блюсти́тельница (ru) f (bljustítelʹnica)
Sanskrit: गोप्तृ (sa) m (goptṛ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: skrbnik (sh) m, skrbkinja f, hranitelj (sh), zaštitnik (sh), čuvar (sh) m
Slovak: strážca, strážkyňa
Spanish: guardián (es) m, guardia (es) m
Swedish: väktare (sv) c
Turkish: koruma (tr), gardiyan (tr)
Ugaritic: 𐎐𐎙𐎗 (nġr)
Ukrainian: охоро́нець m (oxorónecʹ), сто́рож m (stórož)
Uzbek: qoʻriqchi (uz)
Zazaki: starwan, ğerdiyan c

law: person legally responsible for a minor in loco parentis

Arabic: وَلِي أَمْر‎ m (walī ʾamr), حَافِظ‎ m (ḥāfiẓ)
Belarusian: апяку́н m (apjakún), апяку́нка f (apjakúnka), папячы́цель m (papjačýcjelʹ), папячы́целька f (papjačýcjelʹka), апекава́льнік m (apjekaválʹnik), апекава́льніца f (apjekaválʹnica)
Bulgarian: насто́йник (bg) m (nastójnik), опеку́н m (opekún), попечи́тел (bg) m (popečítel), попечи́телка f (popečítelka)
Catalan: tutor (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 監護人／监护人 (zh) (jiānhùrén)
Czech: poručník (cs) m, poručníce f
Dutch: voogd (nl) m, voogdes (nl) f
Faroese: verji m
Finnish: huoltaja (fi), edunvalvoja (fi)
French: tuteur (fr) m, tutrice (fr) f
German: Vormund (de) m, Erziehungsberechtigter (de) m, Erziehungsberechtigte (de) f
Greek: κηδεμόνας (el) c (kidemónas)
Ancient: κηδεμών m (kēdemṓn)
Hungarian: gyám (hu)
Icelandic: fjárhaldsmaður m
Indonesian: wali (id)
Italian: tutore (it) m, tutrice (it) f
Japanese: 保護者 (ja) (ほごしゃ, hogosha)
Korean: 보호자(保護者) (ko) (bohoja)
Latin: tūtor m
Luxembourgish: Momper m
Plautdietsch: Väaminda m
Polish: opiekun (pl) m, opiekunka (pl) f
Portuguese: guardião (pt) m
Russian: опеку́н (ru) m (opekún), кура́тор (ru) m (kurátor), попечи́тель (ru) m (popečítelʹ), попечи́тельница (ru) f (popečítelʹnica)
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: staratelj (sh) m, staralac m, hranitelj (sh) m
Slovak: poručník m, poručníčka f
Spanish: apoderado (es) m, tutor (es) m, custodio (es) m
Swedish: målsman (sv) c
Thai: ผู้ปกครอง (th) (pûu-bpòk-krɔɔng)
Ukrainian: опіку́н m (opikún), опіку́нка f (opikúnka), попечи́тель m (popečýtelʹ), попечи́телька f (popečýtelʹka)
Zazaki: mehfeze

law: person responsible for incompetent person

Bulgarian: попечи́тел (bg) m (popečítel)
Finnish: edunvalvoja (fi)
French: curateur (fr) m, curatrice (fr) f, tuteur (fr) m, tutrice (fr) f
Greek:
Ancient: κηδεμών m (kēdemṓn)
Hungarian: gondnok (hu)
Latin: tūtor m
Plautdietsch: Väaminda m
Portuguese: guardião (pt) m
Russian: опеку́н (ru) m (opekún), попечи́тель (ru) m (popečítelʹ), попечи́тельница (ru) f (popečítelʹnica)
Slovak: poručník m, poručníčka f
Spanish: apoderado (es) m
Thai: ผู้พิทักษ์, ผู้อนุบาล
Zazaki: tepıştoğ c

superior in a Franciscan monastery

Czech: kvardián
Finnish: apotti (fi)
German: Guardian (de) m
Hungarian: gvárdián (hu), házfőnök
Italian: guardiano (it) m
Latin: guardianus m
Polish: gwardian (pl) m
Portuguese: guardião (pt) m
Spanish: guardián (es) m
Zazaki: gardian c

final video game enemy

Finnish: päävihollinen
French: boss (fr) m
Portuguese: chefão (pt) m
Spanish: jefe (es) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Korean: ^{(please verify)} 후견인 (ko) (hugyeonin)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} zêrevan (ku), ^{(please verify)} pasevan (ku), ^{(please verify)} parêzvan (ku), ^{(please verify)} nobedar (ku), ^{(please verify)} nêrevan (ku), ^{(please verify)} gard (ku), ^{(please verify)} heres (ku), ^{(please verify)} pasdar (ku)

Anagrams

Grauniad

Middle French

Etymology

Old French garden, from the verb guarder.

Noun

guardian m (plural guardians)

guardian; protector