vaward

vaward

English

Etymology

From an aphetism of Anglo-Norman avantwarde, a variant of Old French avant-guarde.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɑːwəd/

Noun

vaward (plural vawards)

1. The vanguard.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter X, in Le Morte Darthur, book II:

     THenne kyng Arthur made redy his hoost in x batails and Nero was redy in the felde afore the castel Tarabil with a grete hoost / & he had x batails with many mo peple than Arthur had / Thenne Nero had the vaward with the moost party of his peple / & merlyn cam to kyng lot of the yle of Orkeney

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • 1988, Anthony Burgess, Any Old Iron:

     Then they were marched off to the railway station with the band in the vaward playing ‘Have you ever caught your ballocks in a rat trap?’

Adjective

vaward (not comparable)

1. On or towards the front; vanward.