Warden

{{Short description|Custodian, defender, or guardian}} {{wiktionary|warden}} {{EB1911 poster|Warden}} {{other uses}} 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.<ref name=mish1993>{{cite book |editor1-last=Mish |editor1-first=Frederick C. |title=Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary |date=1993 |publisher=Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster |isbn=978-0-87779-708-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/merriamwebstersc00spri/page/1330/mode/2up?view=theater&q=warden}}</ref><ref name=eb1911>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Warden|volume= 28|page= 322|short=1}}</ref>

''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.<ref name=mish1993 /><ref name=eb1911 /> 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

== References == {{reflist}}

Category:Positions of authority