A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a

prison warden The warden (United States, US, Canada) or governor (United Kingdom, UK, Australia), also known as a superintendent (US, South Asia) or director (UK, New Zealand), is the official who is in charge of a prison. Name In the United States and Canad ...

. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the

Warden of the Mint Warden of the Mint was a high-ranking position at the Royal Mint in England from 1216 to 1829. The warden was responsible for a variety of minting procedures and acted as the immediate representative of the current monarch inside the mint. The role ...

. ''Warden'' is etymologically identical to ''guardian'', both terms deriving from the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...

''garder'' which in turn is of Germanic origin, ''wartēn'' meaning to watch or protect. Types of wardens include: *

Prison warden The warden (United States, US, Canada) or governor (United Kingdom, UK, Australia), also known as a superintendent (US, South Asia) or director (UK, New Zealand), is the official who is in charge of a prison. Name In the United States and Canad ...

, the chief administrative official of a prison *

Warden (college) Warden is the title given to or adopted by the heads of some university colleges and other institutions. It dates back at least to the 13th century at Merton College, Oxford; the original Latin version is ''custos''. England University of Bristol ...

, head of some university colleges and academic institutions in the United Kingdom and Australia *

, historical highest-ranking officer of the Royal Mint of the United Kingdom * Warden, rank of seniority within a City of London livery company *

Churchwarden A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ''ex officio'' members of the parish b ...

, a lay officer in an Anglican or Episcopal church *

Fire warden Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter. Firefighters typically ...

, a person designated to aid firefighters at a building or community level *

Game warden A conservation officer is a law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and the environment. A conservation officer may also be referred to as an environmental technician or technologist, game warden, forest ranger, forest watcher, forest gu ...

, an officer empowered to enforce the hunting and trapping laws of a jurisdiction * Mining warden, presiding officer in a warden's court *

ARP Warden Air Raid Precautions (ARP) refers to a number of organisations and guidelines in the United Kingdom dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air raids. Government consideration for air raid precautions increased in the 1920s an ...

, responsible for enforcing Air Raid Precautions in the United Kingdom during World War II air raids * Warden, the chief royal official of a

royal forest A royal forest, occasionally known as a kingswood (), is an area of land with different definitions in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The term ''forest'' in the ordinary modern understanding refers to an area of wooded land; however, the ...

Street warden A street warden is someone who patrols the streets in order to aid the police at a community level. Examples include the Red Caps of London. Street wardens (sometimes referred to as community wardens) do not have police powers, nor are they the ...

, an officer aiding police at a community level * Warden, an officer in a

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

council * Warden, a rank of

Masonic lodge officer In Craft Freemasonry, sometimes known as Blue Lodge Freemasonry, every Masonic lodge elects or appoints Masonic lodge officers to execute the necessary functions of the lodge's life and work. The precise list of such offices may vary between the j ...

* County warden, the head of county governments in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada, similar to mayors in cities *

Resident assistant A resident assistant (RA), also known by a variety of other names, is a trained peer leader who coordinates activities in residence halls in colleges and universities, mental health and substance abuse residential facilities, or similar establishm ...

, may be referred to as a warden at some educational institutions *

Park ranger A ranger, park ranger, park warden, or forest ranger is a law enforcement person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Description "Parks" may be broadly defined by some systems in thi ...

, also called a park warden or forest ranger, a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands *

Parking enforcement officer A parking enforcement officer (PEO),United S ...

, also called a traffic warden or parking inspector, an officer who issues tickets for parking violations *

Sheltered housing Sheltered housing is a term covering a wide range of rented housing for older and/or disabled or other vulnerable people. In the United Kingdom most commonly it refers to grouped housing such as a block or "scheme" of flats or bungalows with a sch ...

officers, referred to formerly (and still by some) as "wardens" *

Wardens of the Coast The Wardens of the Coast, originally called the Keepers of the Coast or Keepers of the Sea, were officials appointed in the Kingdom of England and placed under the jurisdiction of one of the regional admiralties of England, those of the North, Sou ...

Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century, when the title was Keeper of the Coast, but may be older. The Lord Warden was originally in charge of the Cinqu ...

, a ceremonial office of the Confederation of Cinque Ports of the southeast coast of England **

Lord Warden of the Marches The Lord Warden of the Marches was an office in the governments of Scotland and England. The holders were responsible for the security of the border between the two nations, and often took part in military action. They were also responsible, alo ...

, a historical office in Scotland and England *

Lord Warden of the Stannaries The Lord Warden of the Stannaries (from la, stannum for Tin, Sn) used to exercise judicial and military functions in Cornwall, England, and is still the official who, upon the commission of the monarch or Duke of Cornwall for the time being, h ...

, a historical office in Cornwall *

Warden of the Swans The Warden of the Swans is an office in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, created in 1993 when the ancient post of Keeper of the Kings Swans (which dated from the 13th century) was divided into two new posts. The sec ...

, an office in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, created in 1993

References

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References

See also