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Definition of protectorate - 4 dictionary results

pro⋅tec⋅tor⋅ate

  [pruh-tek-ter-it]
Use protectorate in a Sentence
–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 + -ate 3
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pro·tec·tor·ate   (prə-těk'tər-ĭt)   
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.

  2. 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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

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.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

Protectorate

the English government from 1653 to 1659. After the execution of King Charles I, England was declared a commonwealth (1649) under the rule of Parliament. But, after Oliver Cromwell had dissolved the Rump and Barebones parliaments in succession in 1653, he was installed on Dec. 16, 1653, as lord protector of the commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland under the authority of a constitution entitled the Instrument of Government, which had been drawn up by a group of army officers. The Protectorate, as Cromwell's government is now known, was continued after his death on Sept. 3, 1658, by his son Richard, until the latter resigned the office on May 25, 1659, upon which Parliament's resumption of power served merely as a prelude to the Restoration of Charles II

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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