rearguard means The rearmost part of a force, especially a detachment of troops that protect the rear of a retreating force. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why this word is great
REARGUARD — [Noun] The rearmost part of a military force, especially a detachment tasked with protecting the rear during a retreat. From Middle French *reregarde* (Old French *rereguarde*), from *rere*, *riere* ("rear") + *garde* ("guard"). Attested in English from the 15th century as a borrowing from French, ultimately a compound of 'rear' and 'guard'. Unlike "vanguard" (which spearheads the advance, eyes fixed on new horizons) or "garrison" (which stands static, rooted to a fixed point of earth), the rearguard is defined by its backward gaze and its motion away from triumph. It is the grim, deliberate pace of the last soldiers across a blown bridge; the sharp crack of rifles fired over a shoulder into the pursuing dust; the stubborn stand in the narrowing pass—the martial embodiment of a necessary, losing action, a testament not to conquest, but to the dignity of a managed withdrawal.
noun
- The rearmost part of a force, especially a detachment of troops that protect the rear of a retreating force.
- The defence, collectively the defenders.“Mancini's side only showed enough ambition when it was too late and by then battle lines were drawn as James Collins and former City captain Richard Dunne fought a magnificent rearguard action at the heart of Villa's defence.”