tutelary

American  

[toot-l-er-ee, tyoot-] / ˈtut lˌɛr i, ˈtjut- /

Also tutelar

adjective

1. having the position of guardian or protector of a person, place, or thing.

   tutelary saint.

2. of or relating to a guardian or guardianship.

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noun

tutelaries plural

1. a person who has tutelary powers, as a saint, deity, or guardian.

tutelary British  

/ ˈtjuːtɪlərɪ, ˈtjuːtɪlə /

adjective

1. invested with the role of guardian or protector

2. of or relating to a guardian or guardianship

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noun

1. a tutelary person, deity, or saint

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• supertutelary
  adjective
• untutelar
  adjective
• untutelary
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tutelaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tutelary

1605–15; < Latin tūtēlārius guardian; see tutelage, -ary

Explanation

The adjective tutelary describes something that is supervising or guarding something else, like the tutelary duties of a babysitter who makes sure the kids don't hurt themselves at the playground. To correctly pronounce tutelary, say "TOO-tuh-leh-ree." Tutelary comes from the Latin word tutus, meaning "watch over." You see this root in words like tutor and tutorial, which also involve watching over, though in a more specific sense that applies primarily to instructing. Tutelary's suffix -ary means "having to do with." So something that is tutelary has to do with keeping watch, like the tutelary presence of a parent supervising a child, or even a tutelary god in an ancient society.

Example Sentences

Such are the four Social or Tutelary Motives, the antagonists of the Dissocial and Self-regarding motives, which include the remainder of the catalogue.

From Moral Science; a Compendium of Ethics by Bain, Alexander

At the door is the Emelgelji, the Tutelary of the Herds and Young Cattle, made of sheepskins.

From The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Yule, Henry

Tutelary religion, in short, is corrected through the validity of the ethical principles of justice and good-will.

From The Moral Economy by Perry, Ralph Barton

Tutelary angels are represented as pleading for mercy, with eager outstretched arms; other angels, lower down, are liberating the souls of repentant sinners from torment.

From Legends of the Madonna as Represented in the Fine Arts by Jameson, Mrs. (Anna)

Her rank being superior to his, her children worshipped the Tutelary God of Nayau, which was a shark, and the two tribes became vei-tauvu—that is to say, of common origin.

From The Fijians A Study of the Decay of Custom by Thomson, Basil