provost guard
- noun
- Formal
:
guardia de provost
- The provost guard was called in to restore order after the incident in the barracks.
Examples
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In times of unrest, the provost guard performs essential duties to ensure discipline among troops.
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During the parade, members of the provost guard stood at attention along the main road.
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The provost guard ensured safety during the event.
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Many provost guards were stationed at the entrance.
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During the parade, members of the provost guard stood at attention along the main road.
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In times of unrest, the provost guard performs essential duties to ensure discipline among troops.
-
The provost guard was called in to restore order after the incident in the barracks.
Synonyms
∞
1.2
A person whose job is to protect people or property
17
3.5
People in the military who make sure others follow rules, keep order, and guard prisoners
Surface Forms
Morphology
provost + guard
The noun–noun compound is fully compositional: 'provost' (an official in charge of discipline/administration) combined with 'guard' (a detachment that protects or maintains order) straightforwardly yields a guard unit under the provost’s authority. Thus a learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning, although in practice 'provost' is low-frequency and may be unfamiliar to many B1 learners.
Etymology
Provost guard comes from provost, a word for someone put 'in charge', and guard, a group that watches and protects. Imagine officers who stand over soldiers to check behaviour and keep order — that image explains why a provost guard means the unit that keeps discipline in the army.