v.
- keep safe from harm or injury.
▸
[often as adj. protected]
aim to preserve (a threatened plant or animal species) by legislating against collecting or hunting.
- Economics shield (a domestic industry) from competition by imposing import duties on foreign goods.
- provide funds to meet (a bill of exchange or commercial draft).
Derivative
Etymology
ME: from L. protect-, protegere ‘cover in front’.