hyperaspist

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun ⟨ ὐπερασπίζειν, cover with a shield, ⟨ὑπέρ, over, + ἀσπίς, a shield. Cf. hypaspist.] In Greek antiquity, one who protected another engaged in fighting by holding a shield over him; hence, a protector or defender.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun obsolete One who holds a shield over another; hence, a defender.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun obsolete One who holds a shield over another; a defender.