Etymology

arrière-garde

Today it means: The rearguard of an army or other force. Full definition →

Middle English arryeregarde ← Anglo-Norman arer-garde ← Middle French ariere-garde, arrer-garde, arriere-garde, arrer-garde
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arrière-garde · noun1

  1. Old French · derived fromarieregarde
  2. Middle French · derived fromariere-garde, arrer-garde, arriere-garde, arrer-garde
  3. Anglo-Norman · derived fromarer-garde
  4. Middle English · inherited fromarryeregarde
  5. English todayarrière-garde

From Middle English arryeregarde, from Anglo-Norman arer-garde and Middle French ariere-garde, arrer-garde, arriere-garde, arrer-garde, from Old French arieregarde, from arere (“behind”) + guarde (“guard”).

arrière-garde · noun2

  1. French · borrowed fromarrière-garde
  2. English todayarrière-garde

Unadapted borrowing from French arrière-garde, by analogy with avant-garde.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.