guardian

 
Pronunciation: /ˈgɑːdɪən/

noun

  • 1a person who protects or defends something: self-appointed guardians of public morality
  • a person who is legally responsible for the care of someone who is unable to manage their own affairs, especially a child whose parents have died: I am acting as guardian of my late brother’s family
  • 2the superior of a Franciscan convent.

Derivatives

guardianship

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French garden, of Germanic origin; compare with ward and warden. The ending was altered by association with -ian