tutelary

American  

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

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

plural

tutelaries

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

• supertutelary
  adjective
• untutelar
  adjective
• untutelary
  adjective

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

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

Tutelary gods of our country, behold,101 behold this train of virgins suppliant to escape from slavery,102 for around our city a surge of men with waving crests is rippling, stirred by the blasts of Mars.

From Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound and the Seven Against Thebes by Buckley, Theodore Alois

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

Outside the hut is the Chandaghatu, a name implying that the idol was formed of a white hare-skin, the Tutelary of the Chase and perhaps of War.

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