protector

[pruh-tek-ter]

noun

1. a person or thing that protects; defender; guardian.

2. English History.

   1. a person in charge of the kingdom during the sovereign's minority, incapacity, or absence.

   2. Also called Lord Protector. (initial capital letter),  the title of the head of the government during the period of the Protectorate, held by Oliver Cromwell (1653–58) and by Richard Cromwell, his son (1658–59).

protector

¹

/ prəˈtɛktə /

noun

1. a person or thing that protects

2. history a person who exercised royal authority during the minority, absence, or incapacity of the monarch

Protector

²

/ prəˈtɛktə /

noun

1. short for Lord Protector, the title borne by Oliver Cromwell (1653–58) and by Richard Cromwell (1658–59) as heads of state during the period known as the Protectorate

Other Word Forms

• protectress noun
• protectoral adjective
• protectorless adjective
• protectorship noun
• subprotector noun
• subprotectorship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of protector¹

1325–75; < Late Latin ( protect, -tor ); replacing Middle English protectour < Middle French

Example Sentences

Saint Edgar of Alberta: patron saint of disciplined capital, guardian of dividends, protector of anyone smart enough to ignore cable news.

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Then Ares suddenly stops being evil and becomes a big-hearted protector.

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Almost everyone reading this will recognize the slender, ponytailed figure who became a close friend and protector of the simian species most closely related to ours.

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Dogs are wired to be our protectors and yet, through generations of nurturing, they’ve come to trust that we’ll also protect them.

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“A protector,” he mutters to himself in unison.

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Related Words

• benefactor 
• bulwark 
• defender 
• partisan 
• patron 
• savior