guardsman

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a soldier who belongs to a guard unit, especially an elite or ceremonial one

   A guardsman stood motionless outside the palace gates.

2. 2
   noun

   a person assigned to guard or protect someone or something

   The guardsman challenged every stranger who approached the camp.

Formed from guard + -s- + man. It became especially associated with soldiers serving in units formally called the Guard or Guards, while also retaining the broader sense of a man assigned to guard duty.

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