the bodyguard of the pope, recruited from Swiss nationals
2.
a member of this bodyguard
3.
one of a group of Swiss mercenaries who acted as bodyguards to the French kings: destroyed in the Revolution
Swiss Guard in American English
noun
a member of a corps of bodyguards protecting the pope, with membership restricted to natives of Switzerland
Word origin
[1690–1700]This word is first recorded in the period 1690–1700. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cocoon, foolscap, freshen, manta, momentum