ward

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
  2. noun a district into which a city or town is divided for the purpose of administration and elections
  3. noun block forming a division of a hospital (or a suite of rooms) shared by patients who need a similar kind of care

Etymology

From Middle English warde, from Old English weard (“keeper, watchman, guard, guardian, protector; lord, king; possessor”), from Proto-Germanic *warduz (“guard, keeper”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to heed, defend”). Cognate with Dutch waard, German Wart.

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