Etymology

protégé

Today it means: A person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced person (a protector or mentor). Full definition →

French protégé ← Latin prōtegere ← Proto-Italic *tegō
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pér
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pró
  4. Proto-Indo-European*pro-
  5. Proto-Italic*pro-
  6. Latinpro-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*(s)teg-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*(s)tégeti
  9. Proto-Italic*tegō
  10. Latintegō
  11. Latinprōtegere
  12. Frenchprotéger
  13. Frenchprotégé
  14. English todayprotégé

Borrowed from French protégé, past participle of protéger (“to protect”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.