protector

American  

[pruh-tek-ter] / prəˈtɛk tər /

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).

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protector ¹ British  

/ 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

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Protector ² British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of protector

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

Example Sentences

Some films cast the King of the Monsters as a protector unconsciously joining humanity – and occasionally, King Kong – to fend off some mammoth existential evil.

From Salon

She, the baby, and her protectors were all taken.

From Literature

Plus, gloves, helmets, elbow guards, leg protectors, arm sleeves, sliding mitts, cleats, turf shoes, the coolest sunglasses, Bruce Bolt batting gloves, fluorescent batting grips, socks, pants, belts and garments known simply as “ice-cream shorts.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote that “the highest form of love is to be the protector of another person’s solitude.”

From The Wall Street Journal

His older sister, Averie, was a protector who “beat up everybody for me from age 3 to like 15,” Domingo says, letting out an extended belly laugh.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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