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vanguard

van·guard

UK/ˈvanˌɡɑːd/ US/ˈvænˌɡɑɹd/ uncommon

noun

1.

the leading units moving at the head of an army

Synonyms
2.

any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)

Synonyms
3.

the position of greatest advancement; the leading position in any movement or field

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English vandgard, vaunte garde, vaunt garde, wantgard, from advaunte-garde, avauntgard with aphesis, from Old French avangarde, avant-garde, avantgarde, from avant (“before; in front”) + garde (“guard”). Doublet of avant-garde and vaward.

Phrases

  • advance guard

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.