Mudguards

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device fitted to the wheel arch of a vehicle to prevent mud and debris from splattering onto the bodywork or passengers
2. an accessory designed to shield the vehicle from the impacts of dirt and water thrown up by the tires
3. a protective cover placed above the wheels to reduce the amount of mud and moisture that can contact the vehicle's surface or occupants

Etymology: "Mudguards" is the plural of "mudguard," a compound of "mud" and "guard." The noun "guard" comes from Old French "garder" (to watch over, protect), itself of Germanic origin, and entered English in the 14th century. "Mud" is an older Germanic word, recorded in English since at least the 1300s, and the pairing describes exactly what the object does: it stands between the wheel and everything else. The compound is wonderfully literal. Early versions were simple leather or wooden flaps hung over wheels on carts and carriages, and the name stayed attached to the function rather than the material, so it survived through the switch to metal and, later, plastic. Bicycles and motorcars inherited the term when they arrived in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the plural form is used because a vehicle has a pair of them, one over each wheel.

Synonyms: fenders, protectors, shields, deflectors, covers