Law. a person who is entrusted by law with the care of the person or property, or both, of another, as a minor or someone legally incapable of managing his or her own affairs.
3.
the superior of a Franciscan convent.
adjective
4.
guarding; protecting:
a guardian deity.
Origin
1375-1425;late Middle Englishgardein < Anglo-French. See warden
Related forms
guardianless, adjective
underguardian, noun
Synonyms
1. protector, defender.
Pronunciation note
Guardian is occasionally pronounced with two syllables and with stress on the final syllable:
[gahr-deen] /gɑrˈdin/ (Show IPA). This pronunciation is now most characteristic of older, less educated speakers.
Examples from the web for guardians
From his bookshop, he planned his tactics to defeat the five guardians.
The weakened guardians defeated him rather by smartness than strength.
She does sacrifice her immortality for the guardians, with which she redeems herself.
He protested that the guardians he chose did not run their tasks as asked.
It transforms the girls into guardians and strengthens their elemental powers.
It was there that the poor law guardians began to enforce administration of the poor law.
British Dictionary definitions for guardians
guardian
/ˈɡɑːdɪən/
noun
1.
one who looks after, protects, or defends: the guardian of public morals
2.
(law) someone legally appointed to manage the affairs of a person incapable of acting for himself, as a minor or person of unsound mind
(social welfare) (in England) a local authority, or person accepted by it, named under the Mental Health Act 1983 as having the powers to require a mentally disordered person to live at a specified place, attend for treatment, and be accessible to a doctor or social worker
3.
(often capital) (in England) another word for custos
adjective
4.
protecting or safeguarding
Derived Forms
guardianship, noun
Word Origin and History for guardians
guardian
n.
early 14c., garden; early 15c., gardein, from Anglo-French gardein (late 13c.), from Old French gardien "keeper, custodian," earlier guarden, from Frankish *warding- (see guard (n.)). Guardian angel is from 1630s.