protectress

American  

[proh-tek-tris] / proʊˈtɛk trɪs /

noun

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

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Gender

See -ess.

Etymology

Origin of protectress

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

Example Sentences

“What about the women?” she asked the professor, whereupon Campbell explained that the women were the hero’s mother, his protectress and the prize at the end of his quest.

From New York Times • Sep. 29, 2021

Van Dyck — meeting the new demand, and not a little grateful himself — takes a half-finished self-portrait, slathers it with primer and paints the new protectress, floating gloriously over the illness-ravaged port town.

From New York Times • Mar. 26, 2020

“Saint Kateri, protectress of Canada and the first American Indian saint, we entrust you to the renewal of the faith in the first nations and in all of North America.”

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2012

In the past fortnight he has organized special Masses dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is revered by Mexicans as their protectress.

From Time Magazine Archive

Like a good huntsman, she was careful to preserve the young; she was “the protectress of dewy youth” everywhere.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton