main guard

noun

A body of troops comprising the chief guard units, especially a unit of cavalry on the wing of a camp towards the enemy, or a group of soldiers in a fortress responsible for dealing with disturbers of the peace.

First used 17th c.
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Meanings

nounmain guard (plural main guards)

plural main guards

  1. governmentA body of troops comprising the chief guard units, especially a unit of cavalry on the wing of a camp towards the enemy, or a group of soldiers in a fortress responsible for dealing with disturbers of the peace.First known use 17th c.
  2. fortificationThe keep of a castle; a guardhouse or building in a fortress where such a body of troops is lodged.First known use 17th c.

    [A]fter an obstinate engagement, in which divers wounds were given and received, every soul of them was taken, and conveyed to the main-guard, where the commanding officer […] set them all at liberty […].

    1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC
Cite this entry
APA

main guard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/main%20guard

MLA

“main guard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/main%20guard. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “main guard,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/main%20guard.

Source: main guard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.