Ward

Ward Ward, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Warded}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Warding}.] [OE. wardien, AS. weardian to keep, protect; akin to OS. ward?n to watch, take care, OFries. wardia, OHG. wart?n, G. warten to wait, wait on, attend to, Icel. var?a to guarantee defend, Sw. v[*a]rda to guard, to watch; cf. OF. warder, of German origin. See {Ward}, n., and cf. {Award}, {Guard}, {Reward}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To keep in safety; to watch; to guard; formerly, in a specific sense, to guard during the day time. [1913 Webster]

Whose gates he found fast shut, no living wight To ward the same. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

2. To defend; to protect. [1913 Webster]

Tell him it was a hand that warded him From thousand dangers. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. To defend by walls, fortifications, etc. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

4. To fend off; to repel; to turn aside, as anything mischievous that approaches; -- usually followed by off. [1913 Webster]

Now wards a felling blow, now strikes again. --Daniel. [1913 Webster]

The pointed javelin warded off his rage. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

It instructs the scholar in the various methods of warding off the force of objections. --I. Watts. [1913 Webster]