Etymologically
Log in

protection

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:29. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /prəˈtek.ʃᵊn/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English proteccioun,[2][3] borrowed from Old French proteccion (“protection, shield”),[2] and directly from Late Latin prōtēctiō (“a covering over”),[2][4] a noun of action from prōtegere (“to protect, cover in front”),[2][3] from prō (“before”) and tegere (“to cover”),[2] from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (“to cover”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Shelter, defence, keeping, guardianship: the mid-14th century,[2] and about 1375 in the OED.[5] A document guaranteeing protection or immunity to its bearer is in the OED from 1312.[5]

Semantic evolution

“That which protects” is from the late 14th century.[2][5] In medieval England it was also the support of a lord or patron, and to put someone out of protection was to take away the security of the kingdom's laws.[2] From 1677 it was a euphemism for keeping a mistress.[5] The economic sense, fostering a country's industries with duties on foreign goods, is from 1789.[2] The underworld sense, freedom from harm in return for money paid to the threatener, is from 1860,[2][5] and the protection of wild animals and places by law from 1880, at first of wild birds in Britain.[2][5] A condom or other contraceptive is a modern sense.[6]

Timeline

  • 1312 – a letter of protection.[5]
  • mid-14th century – shelter, defence.[2]
  • late 14th century – that which protects.[2]
  • 1677 – keeping of a mistress.[5]
  • 1789 – protection of home industries.[2]
  • 1860 – money paid to racketeers.[2][5]
  • 1880 – legal protection of wildlife.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of protecting, or the state of being protected.
  2. Someone or something that protects.
  3. A document guaranteeing safe-conduct to travellers.
  4. A system of tariffs protecting home producers from foreign competition.
  5. Money extorted by racketeers in return for not causing harm.
  6. A contraceptive device such as a condom.

Word family

  • protectional
  • protectionist
  • overprotection
  • nonprotection
  • protectionism
  • radioprotection
  • self-protection
  • copy protection
  • protect
  • protective
  • protector
  • protectorate
  • thatch
  • tegument

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster