# guardian

Pronunciation: US say "GAHR-dee-uhn" /ˈɡɑɹ.di.ən/; UK say "GAH-dee-uhn" /ˈɡɑː.dɪ.ən/

## Noun

1. A person who guards, watches over, or protects someone or something.
   - Simple: Someone who keeps a person or thing safe.
   - _Many teachers see themselves as guardians of good grammar._
   - _The old ranger had been the forest's guardian for thirty years._
2. A person who is legally responsible for a minor, acting in place of a parent.
   - Simple: An adult the law makes responsible for a child, in place of a parent.
   - _After the accident, the court appointed her aunt as her legal guardian._
   - _Parents or guardians must sign the permission form before the trip._
3. A person who is legally responsible for someone judged incompetent to manage their own affairs.
   - Simple: A person the law puts in charge of someone who cannot make decisions for themselves.
   - _The court named his daughter as guardian after the stroke left him unable to manage his money._
   - _Guardians of adults with severe dementia must report to the court every year._
4. A member of the armed forces serving in the United States Space Force. *(US)*
   - Simple: A person who serves in the U.S. Space Force.
   - _The young Guardian spent her first year at the base learning to track satellites._
   - _More than a hundred Guardians stood in formation for the change-of-command ceremony._
5. A major or final enemy in a video game; a boss.
   - Simple: A big, strong enemy in a video game, often the last one you fight.
   - _You can't reach the next stage until you beat the end-of-level guardian._
   - _The final guardian has three forms, each harder than the last._
6. A religious superior in a Franciscan monastery.
   - Simple: A leader in a Franciscan monastery.
   - _The friars elected a new guardian at their spring meeting._
   - _As guardian, Brother Paul handled the house's accounts and welcomed its visitors._

## Origin

From Middle English gardein (also wardein, which became Modern English warden), from Old French guardein, from the verb guarder, of Germanic origin. It is a doublet of warden (compare French gardien), and on the surface it can be analysed as guard + -ian.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/guardian (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).