the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > care, protection, or charge > [noun] > person or thing in another's care > one under another's care or protection > condition of (3)
The state or condition of being a ward; spec. in Feudal Law, the condition of being under guardianship as a minor.
The condition of being under protection or guardianship.
The condition of being under authority or control; = tutelage, n. 2. Obsolete. rare.