Ward.
（Locksmithing.) a. A curved ridge of metal inside a lock which opposes an obstacle to the passage of a key which is not correspondingly notched. Warded locks were used by the Romans, as the keys found at Herculaneum and Pompeii sufficiently testify. The character of the ward frequently gives the name to the lock, as, — One-ward or two-ward lock. The wards, being usually of sheet-metal bent into a round form, are sometimes called wheels; hence the names one-wheel, two-wheel locks, etc. When the wards are cast solid, instead of being made of bent strips, the lock is a solid ward. The shape of the ward sometimes gives the name, as L-ward, T-ward, Z-ward, etc. A lock without wards is a plain lock. b. The notches or slots in a key are also called key-wards, somewhat in violation of the meaning of the term: ward, a guard.
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| Lock-wards. |
