Guarding
verbWatching over and protecting a person, place, or thing from harm or escape.
How to spell guarding
8 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce guarding
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does guarding mean?
- verbWatching over and protecting a person, place, or thing from harm or escape.
Guarding in a sentence
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Two officers were guarding the entrance throughout the night.
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The dog spent the afternoon guarding the back gate.
Where does guarding come from?
Language of origin: French
This word builds on the verb 'guard', which English took from the Old French verb 'garder' (also spelled 'guarder'), meaning 'to keep, watch over, or protect'. That French verb traces back to a Germanic root, the same one that gives us the related 'ward' and 'warden', from a word meaning 'to keep watch'. The pairing where Germanic 'w' shows up as French 'gu' is a regular sound shift, which is exactly why the spelling carries that tricky silent 'u' after the 'g' in 'guarding' rather than the plainer 'garding' the ear expects. English adopted the noun and verb in the 1400s, originally in military and protective senses, and the present participle 'guarding' followed naturally. Remembering its kinship with 'ward' helps, since both ultimately describe the act of keeping someone or something safe.
How the word is built
- guard (from Old French garder: to watch, protect)
- -ing (present participle / gerund suffix)
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