Look up warden in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. [1] [2]
Warden is etymologically identical to guardian, both terms deriving from the Old French garder which in turn is of Germanic origin, wartēn meaning to watch or protect. [1] [2] It is also related to the native Anglo Saxon derived word ward
Types of wardens include:
- Prison warden, the chief administrative official of a prison
- Warden (college), head of some university colleges and academic institutions in the United Kingdom and Australia
- Warden of the Mint, historical highest-ranking officer of the Royal Mint of the United Kingdom
- Warden, rank of seniority within a City of London livery company
- Churchwarden, a lay officer in an Anglican or Episcopal church
- Fire warden, a person designated to aid firefighters at a building or community level
- Game warden, an officer empowered to enforce the hunting and trapping laws of a jurisdiction
- Mining warden, presiding officer in a warden's court
- ARP Warden, responsible for enforcing Air Raid Precautions in the United Kingdom during World War II air raids
- Warden, the chief royal official of a royal forest
- Street warden, an officer aiding police at a community level
- Warden, an officer in a Knights of Columbus council
- Warden, a rank of Masonic lodge officer
- County warden, the head of county governments in Ontario and Nova Scotia, Canada, similar to mayors in cities
- Resident assistant, may be referred to as a warden at some educational institutions
- Park ranger, also called a park warden or forest ranger, a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands
- Parking enforcement officer, also called a traffic warden or parking inspector, an officer who issues tickets for parking violations
- Sheltered housing officers, referred to formerly (and still by some) as "wardens"
- Wardens of the Coast
- Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, a ceremonial office of the Confederation of Cinque Ports of the southeast coast of England
- Lord Warden of the Marches, a historical office in Scotland and England
- Lord Warden of the Stannaries, a historical office in Cornwall
- Warden of the Swans, an office in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, created in 1993