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protectory

American  
[pruh-tek-tuh-ree] / prəˈtɛk tə ri /

noun

plural

protectories

  1. an institution for the care of destitute or delinquent children.

protectory British  
/ prəˈtɛktərɪ /

noun

  1. an institution for the care of homeless, delinquent, or destitute children

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of protectory

First recorded in 1650–60; protect + -ory 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He received his education in a protectory where the good brothers were much too busy to observe which hand he used.

From Seeing Things at Night by Broun, Heywood

By the Treaty of Paris, December 10, Porto Rico was ceded, and the Philippine Islands were made over on a payment of $20,000,000, and a republic was established in Cuba, under the United States protectory.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 12 — Modern History by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.