Protect Means to Cover in Front
To protect is to keep something from harm. The Latin means to cover over, and the same root gives us detect and toga.
To protect is to keep someone or something safe from harm. The Latin *protegere* means to cover in front, from *tegere*, to cover — a root that also produced *detect*, which is to uncover, and *toga*, the garment that covers. Protection is always a covering of some kind.
- To keep from harm. *Protect your eyes.*
- To defend legally. *The design is protected.*
- To shield from competition. *Protect the industry.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | protect | Protect the data. |
| Past | protected | A protected species. |
| Noun | protection | Sun protection. |
| Adjective | protective | A protective coating. |
| Noun | protectionism | Trade protectionism. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Gloves protect against splinters.Protect against a hazard.
- The building is a protected structure.Legally listed.
- He is very protective of his team.Of a person's attitude.
The covering family
- Protect — cover in front, keep from harm
- Detect — uncover, from the same root
- Integument — a biological covering
- Toga — the Roman covering garment
- Thatch — from an older Germanic form of the same ancient root
From Latin *protegere*, to cover in front, from *pro* and *tegere*, to cover. The root goes back to an ancient word for covering that also gave English *thatch*.
Protect against or protect from?
Both are used. Against suits hazards and threats; from suits sources of harm. Protect against fraud, protect from the rain.
What is protectionism?
Restricting imports through tariffs or quotas to shield domestic producers. Economists argue about it constantly.