ward
n. countablen. a separate room or area in a hospital for patients who need the same kind of care. You might stay in a children's ward or a maternity ward.
n. a separate room or division in a hospital, typically designated for patients with similar medical requirements. Also used to denote an administrative division of a city or borough for local elections.
The nurse checks on the patients in the surgical ward every hour.
After the surgery, the patient was moved from the operating theatre to a quiet recovery ward for observation.
The hospital's expansion plan includes a specialised geriatric ward designed to accommodate the unique mobility and safety needs of elderly patients.
From Middle English warde, from Old English weard (“keeper, watchman, guard, guardian, protector; lord, king; possessor”), from Proto-Germanic warduz (“guard, keeper”), from Proto-Indo-European wer- (“to heed, defend”). Cognate with Dutch waard, German Wart.
From Middle English ward, warde, from Old English weard (“watching, ward, protection, guardianship; advance post; waiting for, lurking, ambuscade”), from Proto-West Germanic wardu, from Proto-Germanic wardō (“protection, attention, keeping”), an extension of the stem wara- (“attentive”) (English wary, beware), from Proto-Indo-European wer- (“to cover”). Cognate with German Warte (“watchtower”), warten (“wait for”); English guard is a parallel form which came via Old French.
From Middle English warden, from Old English weardian (“to watch, guard, keep, protect, preserve; hold, possess, occupy, inhabit; rule, govern”), from Proto-West Germanic wardēn, from Proto-Germanic wardōną, wardāną (“to guard”), from Proto-Indo-European wer- (“to heed, defend”). Doublet of guard.
Often used with a descriptive modifier like 'maternity', 'pediatric', or 'isolation'.