Regard

How to spell regard

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce regard

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does regard mean?

1. verbTo consider or think of someone or something in a particular way.
2. nounAttention, consideration, or respect given to someone or something.

Regard in a sentence

• verb

  Many colleagues regard her as the best negotiator in the firm.

• noun

  The manager held the new recruit in high regard from the start.

• verb

  Critics regard the early novels as his finest work.

• noun

  The contract was signed with no regard for the hidden fees.

Where does regard come from?

Language of origin: French

This word came into English in the fourteenth century from the Old French verb regarder, meaning 'to look at' or 'to take heed of'. That verb was built from the prefix re-, here adding a sense of intensity or attention, and garder, meaning 'to guard, watch, or keep an eye on'. The garder element traces back to a Germanic root for watching and protecting, the same family that gives us 'guard' and 'ward'. The literal idea was therefore to look hard at something, and from that physical act of looking the meaning broadened into mental attention, then into the esteem or respect we feel when we hold someone in high regard. The 'gard' spelling, rather than 'guard', preserves the older French form and is the small trap worth remembering.

How the word is built

• re- (back, again)
• gard (to guard, watch, from Old French garder)