The vanguard is the group of people who are in the leading position in a movement, trend, or field. In the past, it also meant the front part of an army that goes ahead of the main force.
From Old French 'avant-garde', literally 'front guard', where 'avant' means 'before' and 'garde' means 'guard'. English kept the idea of being at the front, and the term shifted from battlefields to ideas and culture.
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