protectress

[ proh-tek-tris ]

/ proʊˈtɛk trɪs /

|

noun

a woman who guards or defends someone or something; protector.

Nearby words

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

Origin of protectress

First recorded in 1560–70; protect(o)r + -ess

Usage note

See -ess.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for protectress

An image of the Virgin was washed ashore, to be the protectress of his chapel.
The Age of Erasmus|P. S. Allen
What followed upon that was not communicated to her protectress, nor do I care to pry.
Rest Harrow|Maurice Hewlett
Only after a while, in a few weeks, a new influence began to work upon Liz's protectress.
That Lass O' Lowrie's|Frances Hodgson Burnett
She was the protectress of young married people and infants, and so was worshipped especially by women.
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 8|Charles H. Sylvester

The Prince and his companion, therefore, determined immediately to join their protectress.
Memoirs of the Jacobites of 1715 and 1745|Mrs. Thomson