Protectorate - Definitions from Dictionary.com

5 results for: Protectorate

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

pro·tec·tor·ate

Audio Help [pruh-tek-ter-it] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	the relation of a strong state toward a weaker state or territory that it protects and partly controls.

2.	a state or territory so protected.

3.	the office or position, or the term of office, of a protector.

4.	the government of a protector.

5.	(initial capital letter) English History. the period (1653–59) during which Oliver and Richard Cromwell held the title of Lord Protector, sometimes extended to include the period of the restoration of the Rump Parliament (1659–60).

[Origin: 1685–95; protector + -ate³

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Protectorate

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

pro·tec·tor·ate Audio Help (prə-těk'tər-ĭt) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. A relationship of protection and partial control assumed by a superior power over a dependent country or region.
2. The protected country or region.
3. The government, office, or term of a protector.
4. The government of England under Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard, ruling as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth.
Protectorate
1. The government, office, or term of a protector.
2. The government of England under Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard, ruling as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

protectorate
noun
a state or territory partly controlled by (but not a possession of) a stronger state but autonomous in internal affairs; protectorates are established by treaty

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
protectorate [(pruh-tek-tuhr-uht)]

A relationship between a strong sovereign nation and a weak nation or area not recognized as a nation. Once the strong nation has established a protectorate over a weak nation, it can control the latter's affairs.

[Chapter:] World Politics

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Protectorate

Pro*tect"or*ate\, n. [Cf. F. protectorat.]

1. Government by a protector; -- applied especially to the government of England by Oliver Cromwell.

2. The authority assumed by a superior power over an inferior or a dependent one, whereby the former protects the latter from invasion and shares in the management of its affairs.

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