ward

Everyday

1. A room in a hospital with beds for patients. tree →
2. An area of a town or city that votes for its own councillor. tree →
3. A child who is looked after by a guardian or court, not their parents. tree →
4. (verb, «ward off») To keep something bad away: ward off germs. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life: a children's ward in hospital. In citizenship: local wards and councillors. In stories: a ward of a rich family. In health: washing hands to ward off colds. Phrases: «hospital ward», «ward off».

Examples

• Grandpa is on a ward on the third floor. tree →
• The nurses on the children's ward were very kind. tree →
• Our town is split into six wards. tree →
• The orphan became the ward of her uncle. tree →
• Garlic was said to ward off vampires in old stories. tree →
• Wear a warm coat to ward off the cold. tree →
• “Let us do so,” his ward agreed tree →

Note

Countable. «Ward off» is a phrasal verb: warded off. Words with -ward (forward, backward) mean direction and are different. Garlic warding off vampires is only a story.

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah, a place of custody where a prisoner is held until a decision is made. Later it also means a watch or turn of duty, as when the Temple singers and gatekeepers kept "the ward" at the gates and store-houses. "Side-ward" in Samuel just means toward the side.

Interpretation. In Numbers, the Sabbath wood-gatherer was held until God declared the punishment. Tradition says a person was held until the law was clear. The wards of Nehemiah are read as the orderly shifts of Levites serving in the Temple.

Examples

• And he put them all together into ward three days. (Torah GEN.42.17, JPS 1917) tree →
• And they put him in ward, because it had not been declared what should be done to him. (Torah NUM.15.34, JPS 1917) tree →
• And they put him in ward, that it might be declared unto them at the mouth of the LORD. (Torah LEV.24.12, JPS 1917) tree →
• Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were over against them in wards. (Writings NEH.12.9, JPS 1917) tree →
• And I will shoot three arrows to the side-ward, as though I shot at a mark. (Prophets 1SA.20.20, JPS 1917) tree →
• Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the ward at the store-houses of the gates. (Writings NEH.12.25, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable. «Ward off» is a phrasal verb: warded off. Words with -ward (forward, backward) mean direction and are different. Garlic warding off vampires is only a story.