Etymology

adult protection

Today it means: Policies and actions in place for the protection of (sometimes vulnerable) adults; adult safeguarding. Full definition →

Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

From adult (“a fully grown human”) + protection (“the process of keeping someone safe”). The incontinence sense is a euphemism for keeping an adult safe from (protected against) accidents.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.