protectorate

[ pruh-tek-ter-it ]
See synonyms for protectorate on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the relation of a strong state toward a weaker state or territory that it protects and partly controls.

  2. a state or territory so protected.

  1. the office or position, or the term of office, of a protector.

  2. the government of a protector.

  3. (initial capital letter)English History. the period (1653–59) during which Oliver and Richard Cromwell held the title of Lord Protector, sometimes extended to include the period of the restoration of the Rump Parliament (1659–60).

Origin of protectorate

1
First recorded in 1685–95; protector + -ate3

Words Nearby protectorate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use protectorate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for protectorate

protectorate

/ (prəˈtɛktərɪt) /


noun
    • a territory largely controlled by but not annexed to a stronger state

    • the relation of a protecting state to its protected territory

  1. the office or period of office of a protector

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for protectorate

protectorate

[ (pruh-tek-tuhr-uht) ]


A relationship between a strong sovereign nation and a weak nation or area not recognized as a nation. Once the strong nation has established a protectorate over a weak nation, it can control the latter's affairs.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.