[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

vanguard \van"guard`\, n. for vantguard, avantguard, f.
   avant-garde; avant before, fore + garde guard. see avant,
   ab-,ante-, and guard, and cf. advance, vamp, van
   of an army, vaward. mil.
   the troops who march in front of an army; the advance guard;
   the van.
   1913 webster
see also:
avant ab- ante- guard advance vamp 
van vaward 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

vanguard
     n 1: the leading units moving at the head of an army syn: van
     2: any creative group active in the innovation and application
        of new concepts and techniques in a given field
        especially in the arts syn: avant-garde, van, new
        wave
     3: the position of greatest advancement; the leading position
        in any movement or field syn: forefront, cutting edge
see also:
van avant-garde new wave forefront cutting edge 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

81 moby thesaurus words for "vanguard":
   advance guard, airhead, ancestor, announcer, antecedent,
   armed guard, avant-garde, bank guard, battle line, beachhead,
   bellwether, bridgehead, buccinator, bushwhacker, coast guard,
   cordon, cordon sanitaire, explorer, farthest outpost, first line,
   forebear, forefront, foregoer, forerunner, front, front line,
   front rank, front runner, front-runner, frontiersman, fugleman,
   garrison, goalie, goalkeeper, goaltender, groundbreaker, guard,
   guarder, guardsman, guide, harbinger, herald, inlying picket,
   innovation, innovator, jailer, latest fad, latest fashion,
   latest wrinkle, lead runner, leader, line, messenger, new look,
   newfangled device, novelty, outguard, outpost, pathfinder, picket,
   pioneer, point, precedent, precursor, predecessor, railhead,
   rear guard, scout, security guard, spearhead, stormy petrel,
   the in thing, the last word, the latest thing, trailblazer,
   trailbreaker, train guard, van, vaunt-courier, voortrekker,
   warder

Vanguard >> V Words
Vanguard, definition of term: Vanguard
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