guardienne

guardi(an) + -enne, female-agent noun suffix

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɡɑːdɪˈɛn/

guardienne (plural guardiennes)

1. A woman, girl, or other female force who or which guards; a female guardian.
   • 1897: Samuel Mathewson Baylis, Camp and Lamp, page 87 (Wm. Drysdale & Co.)

     As we had the only available crafts, gallantry would dictate that we should, at least, make formal tender of these; but our wrath was high against the guardienne at the gate permitting so many more to pass where the resources were already fully taxed that, each waiting for the other raft-party to do their duty, and both satisfied that pic-nics could better be held on dry land than aboard wet rafts, no move was made by either of us — and the fishing proceeded!

   • 1969, National Council on Family Relations, Journal of Marriage and the Family‎, volume 31, page 86:

     The guardienne and the other steward reported it. If I fire him, two years of training in a hot kitchen goes down the drain as well as a good cook.

   • 2007, Kev Reynolds, The Tour of Mont Blanc: Complete Two-way Trekking Guide, Cicerone Press Limited, →ISBN, page 186:

     Some evenings the guardienne entertains with music on her accordian [sic].

   • 2008, Martin Calder, A Summer in Gascony: Discovering the Other South of France, Nicholas Brealey Pub, →ISBN, page 163:

     I remarked to the guardienne about the number of lizards running everywhere in the ruins.

   • 2008: Stephen Platt and Scharlie Platt, Corsica GR20 South, page 23 (Lulu.com, Leveret Publishing; →ISBN)

     The guardienne has told us that the weather will be bad “il pleu toutes le jour”, so we wait till after breakfast to decide whether to take the low or high route to Refuge l’Onda.

• unregained