guardia

/ˈɡwaɾdja/ · A2 · noun · f

watch

💂 guardia = guard + ia: same Germanic root as English guard and ward

From guardar (to keep, to watch), borrowed from Germanic *wardon, which also gave English ward and guard. Spanish turned the w- into gu-. So guardia is the act of keeping watch, and also the squad that does it.

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