Etymology

bearward

bear·ward
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Today it means: Someone who handles and keeps bears (and sometimes other animals such as apes and bulls), especially for use in public entertainments such as baiting or dancing displays; a bearherd. Full definition →

Middle English bereward
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited frombereward“someone who handles and keeps bears, bear keeper”
  2. English todaybearward

From Middle English bereward (“someone who handles and keeps bears, bear keeper”), from ber, bere (“bear”) + ward, warde (“care, keeping”). By surface analysis, bear + ward.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.