1. [n]  a position on a basketball team
2. [n]  a position on the line of scrimmage; "guards must be good blockers"
3. [n]  the duty of serving as a sentry; "he was on guard that night"
4. [n]  a device designed to prevent injury
5. [n]  a posture of defence in boxing or fencing; "keep your guard up"
6. [n]  a group of men who escort and protect some important person
7. [n]  the person who plays that position on a football team; "the left guard was injured on the play"
8. [n]  a person who keeps watch over something or someone
9. [n]  the person who plays the position of guard on a basketball team
10. [v]  watch over or shield from danger or harm; protect; "guard my possessions while I'm away"
11. [v]  protect against a challenge or attack; "Hold that position behind the trees!"; "Hold the bridge against the enemy's attacks"
12. [v]  to keep watch over; "there would be men guarding the horses."
13. [v]  take precautions in order to avoid some unwanted consequence; "guard against becoming too friendly with the staff"; "guard against infection"

1. \Guard\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Guarded}; p. pr. &, vb. n.
   {Gurding}.] [OF. guarder, garder, warder, F. garder, fr. OHG.
   wart?n to be on the watch, await, G. marten. See {Ward}, v. &
   n., and cf. {Guard}, n.]
   1. To protect from danger; to secure against surprise,
      attack, or injury; to keep in safety; to defend; to
      shelter; to shield from surprise or attack; to protect by
      attendance; to accompany for protection; to care for.
   
            For Heaven still guards the right.    --Shak.
   
   2. To keep watch over, in order to prevent escape or restrain
      from acts of violence, or the like.
   
   3. To protect the edge of, esp. with an ornamental border;
      hence, to face or ornament with lists, laces, etc.
   
   
   
      The body of your discourse it sometime guarded with
      fragments, and the guards are but slightly basted on
      neither.                                    --Shak.
   
   4. To fasten by binding; to gird. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.
   
   Syn: To defend, protect, shield; keep; watch.
   
   

2. \Guard\ (g[aum]rd), v. i.
   To watch by way of caution or defense; to be caution; to be
   in a state or position of defense or safety; as, careful
   persons guard against mistakes.
   
   

3. \Guard\, n. [OF. guarde, F. garde; of German origin; cf.
   OHG. wart, marto, one who watches, mata a watching, Goth.
   wardja watchman. See {Guard}, v. t.]
   1. One who, or that which, guards from injury, danger,
      exposure, or attack; defense; protection.
   
            His greatness was no guard to bar heaven's shaft.
                                                  --Shak.
   
   2. A man, or body of men, stationed to protect or control a
      person or position; a watch; a sentinel.
   
            The guard which kept the door of the king's house.
                                                  --Kings xiv.
                                                  27.
   
   3. One who has charge of a mail coach or a railway train; a
      conductor. [Eng.]
   
   4. Any fixture or attachment designed to protect or secure
      against injury, soiling, or defacement, theft or loss; as:
      (a) That part of a sword hilt which protects the hand.
      (b) Ornamental lace or hem protecting the edge of a
          garment.
      (c) A chain or cord for fastening a watch to one's person
          or dress.
      (d) A fence or rail to prevent falling from the deck of a
          vessel.
      (e) An extension of the deck of a vessel beyond the hull;
          esp., in side-wheel steam vessels, the framework of
          strong timbers, which curves out on each side beyond
          the paddle wheel, and protects it and the shaft
          against collision.
      (f) A plate of metal, beneath the stock, or the lock
          frame, of a gun or pistol, having a loop, called a
          bow, to protect the trigger.
      (g) (Bookbinding) An interleaved strip at the back, as in
          a scrap book, to guard against its breaking when
          filled.
   
   5. A posture of defense in fencing, and in bayonet and saber
      exercise.
   
   6. An expression or admission intended to secure against
      objections or censure.
   
            They have expressed themselves with as few guards
            and restrictions as I.                --Atterbury.
   
   7. Watch; heed; care; attention; as, to keep guard.
   
   8. (Zo["o]l.) The fibrous sheath which covers the phragmacone
      of the Belemnites.
   
   Note: Guard is often used adjectively or in combination; as,
         guard boat or guardboat; guardroom or guard room; guard
         duty.
   
   {Advanced guard}, {Coast guard}, etc. See under {Advanced},
      {Coast}, etc.
   
   {Grand guard} (Mil.), one of the posts of the second line
      belonging to a system of advance posts of an army.
      --Mahan.
   
   {Guard boat}.
      (a) A boat appointed to row the rounds among ships of war
          in a harbor, to see that their officers keep a good
          lookout.
      (b) A boat used by harbor authorities to enforce the
          observance of quarantine regulations.
   
   {Guard cells} (Bot.), the bordering cells of stomates; they
      are crescent-shaped and contain chlorophyll.
   
   {Guard chamber}, a guardroom.
   
   {Guard detail} (Mil.), men from a company regiment etc.,
      detailed for guard duty.
   
   {Guard duty} (Mil.), the duty of watching patrolling, etc.,
      performed by a sentinel or sentinels.
   
   {Guard lock} (Engin.), a tide lock at the mouth of a dock or
      basin.
   
   {Guard of honor} (Mil.), a guard appointed to receive or to
      accompany eminent persons.
   
   {Guard rail} (Railroads), a rail placed on the inside of a
      main rail, on bridges, at switches, etc., as a safeguard
      against derailment.
   
   {Guard ship}, a war vessel appointed to superintend the
      marine affairs in a harbor, and also, in the English
      service, to receive seamen till they can be distributed
      among their respective ships.
   
   {Life guard} (Mil.), a body of select troops attending the
      person of a prince or high officer.
   
   {Off one's guard}, in a careless state; inattentive;
      unsuspicious of danger.
   
   {On guard}, serving in the capacity of a guard; doing duty as
      a guard or sentinel; watching.
   
   {On one's guard}, in a watchful state; alert; vigilant.
   
   {To mount guard} (Mil.), to go on duty as a guard or
      sentinel.
   
   {To run the guard}, to pass the watch or sentinel without
      leave.
   
   Syn: Defense; shield; protection; safeguard; convoy; escort;
        care; attention; watch; heed.
   
   

1. In functional programming, a boolean expression attached to a function definition specifying when (for what arguments) that definition is appropriate.

2. In (parallel) logic programming, a Boolean expression which is used to select a clause from several alternative matching clauses.

See guarded horn clauses.

3. In parallel languages, a boolean expression which specifies when an message may be sent or received.

(1.) Heb. tabbah (properly a "cook," and in a secondary sense "executioner," because this office fell to the lot of the cook in Eastern countries), the bodyguard of the kings of Egypt (Gen. 37:36) and Babylon (2 Kings 25:8; Jer. 40:1; Dan. 2:14).

(2.) Heb. rats, properly a "courier," one whose office was to run before the king's chariot (2 Sam. 15:1; 1 Kings 1:5). The couriers were also military guards (1 Sam. 22:17; 2 Kings 10:25). They were probably the same who under David were called Pelethites (1 Kings 14:27; 2 Sam. 15:1).

(3.) Heb. mishmereth, one who watches (Neh. 4:22), or a watch-station (7:3; 12:9; Job 7:12).

In the New Testament (Mark 6:27) the Authorized Version renders the Greek _spekulator_ by "executioner," earlier English versions by "hangman," the Revised Version by "soldier of his guard." The word properly means a "pikeman" or "halberdier," of whom the bodyguard of kings and princes was composed. In Matt. 27:65, 66; 28:11, the Authorized Version renders the Greek _kustodia_ by "watch," and the Revised Version by "guard," the Roman guard, which consisted of four soldiers, who were relieved every three hours (Acts 12:4). The "captain of the guard" mentioned Acts 28:16 was the commander of the Praetorian troops, whose duty it was to receive and take charge of all prisoners from the provinces.