·noun ·pl A body of picked troops; as, "The Household Guards.".
·pl Infantry soldiers belonging to select regiments called the Guards. ...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
·- A body of cavalry so called; ·esp., a British regiment, called the Royal Horse Guards, which furn...
Men detached from the ordinary, as a working party. ...
The Sailor's Word-Book
A greatly-privileged body of cavalry, specially assigned to the guarding of the sovereign's person. ...