Guard \Guard\, n. [OF. guarde, F. garde; of German origin; cf.
   OHG. wart, warto, one who watches, warta a watching, Goth.
   wardja watchman. See Guard, v. t.]
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   1. One who, or that which, guards from injury, danger,
      exposure, or attack; defense; protection.
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            His greatness was no guard to bar heaven's shaft.
                                                  --Shak.
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   2. A man, or body of men, stationed to protect or control a
      person or position; a watch; a sentinel.
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            The guard which kept the door of the king's house.
                                                  --Kings xiv.
                                                  27.
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   3. One who has charge of a mail coach or a railway train; a
      conductor. [Eng.]
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   4. Any fixture or attachment designed to protect or secure
      against injury, soiling, or defacement, theft or loss; as:
      (a) That part of a sword hilt which protects the hand.
      (b) Ornamental lace or hem protecting the edge of a
          garment.
      (c) A chain or cord for fastening a watch to one's person
          or dress.
      (d) A fence or rail to prevent falling from the deck of a
          vessel.
      (e) An extension of the deck of a vessel beyond the hull;
          esp., in side-wheel steam vessels, the framework of
          strong timbers, which curves out on each side beyond
          the paddle wheel, and protects it and the shaft
          against collision.
      (f) A plate of metal, beneath the stock, or the lock
          frame, of a gun or pistol, having a loop, called a
          bow, to protect the trigger.
      (g) (Bookbinding) An interleaved strip at the back, as in
          a scrap book, to guard against its breaking when
          filled.
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   5. A posture of defense in fencing, and in bayonet and saber
      exercise.
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   6. An expression or admission intended to secure against
      objections or censure.
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            They have expressed themselves with as few guards
            and restrictions as I.                --Atterbury.
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   7. Watch; heed; care; attention; as, to keep guard.
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   8. (Zool.) The fibrous sheath which covers the phragmacone of
      the Belemnites.
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   Note: Guard is often used adjectively or in combination; as,
         guard boat or guardboat; guardroom or guard room; guard
         duty.
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   Advanced guard, Coast guard, etc. See under Advanced,
      Coast, etc.

   Grand guard (Mil.), one of the posts of the second line
      belonging to a system of advance posts of an army.
      --Mahan.

   Guard boat.
      (a) A boat appointed to row the rounds among ships of war
          in a harbor, to see that their officers keep a good
          lookout.
      (b) A boat used by harbor authorities to enforce the
          observance of quarantine regulations.

   Guard cells (Bot.), the bordering cells of stomates; they
      are crescent-shaped and contain chlorophyll.

   Guard chamber, a guardroom.

   Guard detail (Mil.), men from a company regiment etc.,
      detailed for guard duty.

   Guard duty (Mil.), the duty of watching patrolling, etc.,
      performed by a sentinel or sentinels.

   Guard lock (Engin.), a tide lock at the mouth of a dock or
      basin.

   Guard of honor (Mil.), a guard appointed to receive or to
      accompany eminent persons.

   Guard rail (Railroads), a rail placed on the inside of a
      main rail, on bridges, at switches, etc., as a safeguard
      against derailment.

   Guard ship, a war vessel appointed to superintend the
      marine affairs in a harbor, and also, in the English
      service, to receive seamen till they can be distributed
      among their respective ships.

   Life guard (Mil.), a body of select troops attending the
      person of a prince or high officer.

   Off one's guard, in a careless state; inattentive;
      unsuspicious of danger.

   On guard, serving in the capacity of a guard; doing duty as
      a guard or sentinel; watching.

   On one's guard, in a watchful state; alert; vigilant.

   To mount guard (Mil.), to go on duty as a guard or
      sentinel.

   To run the guard, to pass the watch or sentinel without
      leave.

   Syn: Defense; shield; protection; safeguard; convoy; escort;
        care; attention; watch; heed.
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Life \Life\ (l[imac]f), n.; pl. Lives (l[imac]vz). [AS.
   l[imac]f; akin to D. lijf body, G. leib body, MHG. l[imac]p
   life, body, OHG. l[imac]b life, Icel. l[imac]f, life, body,
   Sw. lif, Dan. liv, and E. live, v. [root]119. See Live, and
   cf. Alive.]
   1. The state of being which begins with generation, birth, or
      germination, and ends with death; also, the time during
      which this state continues; that state of an animal or
      plant in which all or any of its organs are capable of
      performing all or any of their functions; -- used of all
      animal and vegetable organisms.
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   2. Of human beings: The union of the soul and body; also, the
      duration of their union; sometimes, the deathless quality
      or existence of the soul; as, man is a creature having an
      immortal life.
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            She shows a body rather than a life.  --Shak.
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   3. (Philos.) The potential principle, or force, by which the
      organs of animals and plants are started and continued in
      the performance of their several and cooperative
      functions; the vital force, whether regarded as physical
      or spiritual.
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   4. Figuratively: The potential or animating principle, also,
      the period of duration, of anything that is conceived of
      as resembling a natural organism in structure or
      functions; as, the life of a state, a machine, or a book;
      authority is the life of government.
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   5. A certain way or manner of living with respect to
      conditions, circumstances, character, conduct, occupation,
      etc.; hence, human affairs; also, lives, considered
      collectively, as a distinct class or type; as, low life; a
      good or evil life; the life of Indians, or of miners.
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            That which before us lies in daily life. --Milton.
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            By experience of life abroad in the world. --Ascham.
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            Lives of great men all remind us
            We can make our lives sublime.        --Longfellow.
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            'T is from high life high characters are drawn.
                                                  --Pope
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   6. Animation; spirit; vivacity; vigor; energy.
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            No notion of life and fire in fancy and in words.
                                                  --Felton.
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            That gives thy gestures grace and life.
                                                  --Wordsworth.
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   7. That which imparts or excites spirit or vigor; that upon
      which enjoyment or success depends; as, he was the life of
      the company, or of the enterprise.
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   8. The living or actual form, person, thing, or state; as, a
      picture or a description from, the life.
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   9. A person; a living being, usually a human being; as, many
      lives were sacrificed.
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   10. The system of animal nature; animals in general, or
       considered collectively.
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             Full nature swarms with life.        --Thomson.
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   11. An essential constituent of life, esp: the blood.
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             The words that I speak unto you . . . they are
             life.                                --John vi. 63.
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             The warm life came issuing through the wound.
                                                  --Pope
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   12. A history of the acts and events of a life; a biography;
       as, Johnson wrote the life of Milton.
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   13. Enjoyment in the right use of the powers; especially, a
       spiritual existence; happiness in the favor of God;
       heavenly felicity.
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   14. Something dear to one as one's existence; a darling; --
       used as a term of endearment.
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   Note: Life forms the first part of many compounds, for the
         most part of obvious meaning; as, life-giving,
         life-sustaining, etc.
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   Life annuity, an annuity payable during one's life.

   Life arrow, Life rocket, Life shot, an arrow, rocket,
      or shot, for carrying an attached line to a vessel in
      distress in order to save life.

   Life assurance. See Life insurance, below.

   Life buoy. See Buoy.

   Life car, a water-tight boat or box, traveling on a line
      from a wrecked vessel to the shore. In it person are
      hauled through the waves and surf.

   Life drop, a drop of vital blood. --Byron.

   Life estate (Law), an estate which is held during the term
      of some certain person's life, but does not pass by
      inheritance.

   Life everlasting (Bot.), a plant with white or yellow
      persistent scales about the heads of the flowers, as
      Antennaria, and Gnaphalium; cudweed.

   Life of an execution (Law), the period when an execution is
      in force, or before it expires.

   Life guard. (Mil.) See under Guard.

   Life insurance, the act or system of insuring against
      death; a contract by which the insurer undertakes, in
      consideration of the payment of a premium (usually at
      stated periods), to pay a stipulated sum in the event of
      the death of the insured or of a third person in whose
      life the insured has an interest.

   Life interest, an estate or interest which lasts during
      one's life, or the life of another person, but does not
      pass by inheritance.

   Life land (Law), land held by lease for the term of a life
      or lives.

   Life line.
       (a) (Naut.) A line along any part of a vessel for the
           security of sailors.
       (b) A line attached to a life boat, or to any life saving
           apparatus, to be grasped by a person in the water.

   Life rate, rate of premium for insuring a life.

   Life rent, the rent of a life estate; rent or property to
      which one is entitled during one's life.

   Life school, a school for artists in which they model,
      paint, or draw from living models.

   Lifetable, a table showing the probability of life at
      different ages.

   To lose one's life, to die.

   To seek the life of, to seek to kill.

   To the life, so as closely to resemble the living person or
      the subject; as, the portrait was drawn to the life.
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