Guardian /(?)/

Guard·i·an

Guardian

n.
  1. One who guards, preserves, or secures; one to whom any person or thing is committed for protection, security, or preservation from injury; a warden.
  2. One who has, or is entitled to, the custody of the person or property of an infant, a minor without living parents, or a person incapable of managing his own affairs. (Law)
    Of the several species of guardians, the first are guardians by nature. -- viz., the father and (in some cases) the mother of the child.

Phrases & Compounds

Guardian ad litem
a guardian appointed by a court of justice to conduct a particular suit.
Guardians of the poor
the members of a board appointed or elected to care for the relief of the poor within a township, or district.

Guardian

a.
  1. Performing, or appropriate to, the office of a protector; as, a guardian care.

Phrases & Compounds

Feast of Guardian Angels
a church festival instituted by Pope Paul V., and celebrated on October 2d.
Guardian angel
The particular spiritual being believed in some branches of the Christian church to have guardianship and protection of each human being from birth.
Guardian spirit
in the belief of many pagan nations, a spirit, often of a deceased relative or friend, that presides over the interests of a household, a city, or a region.