protectorate

American  

[pruh-tek-ter-it] / prəˈtɛk tər ɪt /

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.

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

4. the government of a protector.

5. (initial capital letter) 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).

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protectorate British  

/ prəˈtɛktərɪt /

noun

1. 1. a territory largely controlled by but not annexed to a stronger state

   2. the relation of a protecting state to its protected territory

2. the office or period of office of a protector

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protectorate Cultural  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of protectorate

First recorded in 1685–95; protector + -ate ³

Example Sentences

No arguments there; but there are certainly a few to be had with Mr. Dalrymple’s fourth so-called partition, that of Princely India—the nominally independent protectorates that constituted almost a third of the Indian empire.

From The Wall Street Journal

Britain's former protectorate was named the "Pearl of Africa" in the early 20th century by the future British prime minister Winston Churchill.

From Barron's

One more reason to which he alludes: The Jewish state serves as the protectorate of several historical and biblical Christian sites that millions of pilgrims visit each year.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Mamdani, a professor of government and anthropology at Columbia University, is himself a Ugandan Asian, the term used to describe people from British India who had settled in the British protectorate of Uganda.

From The Wall Street Journal

The French-speaking part of the former German protectorate, carved up between France and Britain after World War I, gained independence in 1960, joined a year later by British Cameroon.

From Barron's

Related Words

• outpost
• province
• territory