protectorat

Forms

protectorat m (plural protectorats)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French protecteur + -at,^[2][1] with the stem remade after Latin prōtēctor, the source of the base noun and a derivative of prōtegō (“to protect”).^[3][4] In its first use, for Cromwell's office, it follows the English word protectorate (1692);^[2][5] the Wiktionnaire takes it straight from English.^[6] In the early 19th century it passed into international law as a learned derivative of the Latin stem.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Voltaire uses it in 1751, in Le Siècle de Louis XIV, for the dignity of Lord Protector held by Cromwell: après sa démission du protectorat “after he resigned the protectorate”.^[2][5][4]

Semantic evolution

Rey and the Petit Robert date the international-law sense, a regime set up by treaty under which a protecting State controls another, to 1809.^[7][5] The TLFi's first dated example is from Las Cases's Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène (1823), about the emperor's protectorate of Germany.^[2] By analogy it was used in 1859 of one State's actual domination of another, and in 1890 of the country under such dependence.^[2][5] Bloch and Wartburg date the modern sense to 1869.^[4]

From 1833 it also meant patronage or protection in general, as in Borel's ton de protectorat “patronizing tone”, a sense now dated.^[2]

Timeline

• 1751 – Voltaire uses it of Cromwell's dignity of Protector.^[2][5]
• 1809 – The sense in international law is first dated.^[7][5]
• 1823 – Las Cases writes of the emperor's protectorate of Germany.^[2]
• 1833 – It is used for patronage in general.^[2]
• 1859 – It is used of de facto domination.^[2][5]
• 1869 – Bloch and Wartburg's date for the modern sense.^[4]
• 1890 – It names a country under a protectorate.^[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (history) The office of Lord Protector of England, and Cromwell's regime (1653–1659).^[2][7]
2. (dated) Patronage, protection.^[2][6]
3. (law, history) A regime set up by treaty under which one State controls another, chiefly its foreign relations and security.^[7][2]
4. A country under such a regime, a protectorate.^[7][2][1]
5. De facto domination of one State over another.^[2]

Related words

• protecteur
• protéger
• protection
• protectoral
• English protectorate

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org
7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert