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A watchword given only to officers of guards; -- distinguished from countersign, which is given to all guards.

A guardian; a keeper; specifically (Eccl.), a minister having the charge of a church and parish.

t To go the rounds of, as a sentry, guard, or policeman; as, to patrol a frontier; to patrol a beat.

A guardian saint. -- called also patron saint.

Guardianship, as of a saint; tutelary care. Addison.

To furnish or cover with, or shelter in, a tent or tents. The field pavilioned with his guardians bright. Milton.

A detached body of troops serving to guard an army from surprise, and to oppose reconnoitering parties of the enemy; -- called also outlying picket.

A staff with a spike in the lower end, to guard against slipping. Sir W. Scott.

To pitch or throw with, or as with, a pitchfork. He has been pitchforked into the footguards. G. A. Sala.

t, etc.; as, the prefect of the aqueducts; the prefect of a camp, of a fleet, of the city guard, of provisions; the pretorian prefect, who was commander of the troops guarding the emperor's person.

To fortify beforehand; to guard against objection. [Obs.] Fotherby.

The act of fortifying or guarding against objections. [Obs.]

To keep or save from injury or destruction; to guard or defend from evil, harm, danger, etc.; to protect. O Lord, thou preserved man and beast. Ps. xxxvi. 6. Now, good angels preserve the king. Shak.

A protector; a guardian; a presiding genius. [Obs.] Just Apollo, president of verse. Waller.

A guard. [Obs.] "Heavenly presidiaries." Bp. Hall.

A place of defense; a fortress; a garrison; a fortress; a garrison or guardhouse.

cised by, or belonging to, a pretor; as, pretorian power or authority. Pretorian bands or guards, or Pretorians (Rom. Hist.), the emperor's bodyguards, instituted by the Emperor Augustus in nine cohorts of 1,000 men each. -- Pretorian gate (Rom. Antiq.), that one of the four gates in a camp which lay next the enemy. B…

preventive. Sir T. Browne. Preventive service, the duty performed by the armed police in guarding the coast against smuggling. [Eng]

The first of the chief guards.

Of or pertaining to the captain of the vanguard of a Roman army. Barrow.