wardship
wardship Lexical Profile
wardship Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The legal office, duty, or authority of a guardian who has the care and custody of a minor or other person legally incapable of managing their own affairs.
"The court placed the orphaned estate under the wardship of a trusted uncle until the children reached adulthood."
The state or condition of being a ward under the care and legal protection of a guardian or court.
"During her years of wardship, every major financial and educational decision required the formal approval of the family court."
• Rhymes for wardship
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English from 'ward' (from Old English 'weard', meaning 'guarding' or 'protection') combined with the state-denoting suffix '-ship'. In medieval English law, it specifically denoted a feudal lord's lucrative right to control the lands and marriage of an underage heir.