definitions

protectory

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

noun, plural pro·tec·to·ries.

an institution for the care of destitute or delinquent children.

Nearby words

protective slope, protective system, protective tariff, protector, protectorate, protectory, protectress, protei, proteid, protein, protein c

Origin of protectory

First recorded in 1650–60; protect + -ory2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for protectory

  • While Hyman was in the grammar grades, a brag pupil, Pasquale was in the Protectory, a branded incorrigible.

    From Place to Place|Irvin S. Cobb

  • The “institutions designated by law” for the reception of truants are chiefly the Protectory and the Juvenile Asylum.

    The Children of the Poor|Jacob A. Riis

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

    Seeing Things at Night|Heywood Broun

British Dictionary definitions for protectory

protectory

/ (prəˈtɛktərɪ) /

noun plural -ries

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