warder

¹ American  

[wawr-der] / ˈwɔr dər /

noun

1. a person who guards something, as a doorkeeper or caretaker.

2. a soldier or other person set to guard an entrance.

3. Chiefly British. an official having charge of prisoners in a jail.

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warder ² American  

[wawr-der] / ˈwɔr dər /

noun

1. a truncheon or staff of office or authority, used in giving signals.

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warder ¹ British  

/ ˈwɔːdə /

noun

1. an officer in charge of prisoners in a jail

2. a person who guards or has charge of something

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warder ² British  

/ ˈwɔːdə /

noun

1. (formerly) a staff or truncheon carried by a ruler as an emblem of authority and used to signal his wishes or intentions

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Other Word Forms

• wardership noun

Etymology

Origin of warder¹

1350–1400; Middle English warder ( e ) ( see ward, -er ¹); compare Anglo-French wardere < Middle English

Origin of warder²

1400–50; late Middle English < ?

Example Sentences

During the confusion caused by the fire in the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein, Bester managed to escape from prison dressed as a warder.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2023

“Lockdown was probably the oddest experience in my life,” says McGowran, who spent nearly 26 years in the Royal Air Force before becoming a yeoman warder.

From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2021

Years ago as a gallery warder at the British Museum I would often choose an object as I patrolled, and extemporise a brief story from it.

From The Guardian • Oct. 30, 2019

The senior warder refused absolutely; it was against the rules.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2018

The house had been built for a black warder years before, and now Sobukwe lived in it by himself.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela