Guard″i‐an (?), n. [OF. guardain, gardien, F. gardien, LL. guardianus. See Guard, v. t., and cf. Wasden.] 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. (Law) 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.
Of the several species of guardians, the first are guardians by nature. — viz., the father and (in some cases) the mother of the child. Blackstone.
Guardian ad litem (�) (Law), 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.