rearguard
/ˈɹɪəɹˌɡɑɹd/ noun
Forms rearguards rear guard rear-guard
- noun (military) The rearmost part of a force, especially a detachment of troops that protect the rear of a retreating force.
- noun (soccer) The defence, collectively the defenders.
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English rier garde, from Anglo-Norman reregard, reregarde, rereguarde and Middle French rieregarde, from Old French rereguarde (attested in The Song of Roland, c. 1150), from rere (“after; behind”) + guarde (“guard”). By surface analysis, rear + guard. Piecewise doublet of retrogarde.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “rearguard”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details