watch and ward

== English == === Noun === watch and ward (uncountable) (law, historical) The charge or care of certain officers to keep a watch by night and a guard by day in towns, cities, and other districts, for the preservation of the public peace. (by extension) Uninterrupted vigilance. 1917, Lee Wilson Dodd, "To America" (poem), in Fifes and Drums You needA starker breedTo cherish you and guard,Keep watch and ward,Or strike if strike they must! ==== Usage notes ==== Most commonly in the phrase keep watch and ward ==== References ==== “watch”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. === Verb === watch and ward (third-person singular simple present watches and wards, present participle watching and warding, simple past and past participle watched and warded) To keep constant watch over