This rather old-fashioned and now chiefly literary word dates back to the 16th century when it was spelled and most likely pronounced as two distinct words and probably referred literally to a guard of soldiers or perhaps some kind of attendants. By the 18th century the two words had become a hyphenated or a solid compound with the meaning “scoundrel.” As the two parts of the compound lost their separate meanings, so they eventually lost their separate pronunciations. Blackguard is pronounced (blg´d) in British English and (blg´rd) or (blg´ärd´´) in American English.
g´
d) in British English and (bl
