Meanings
protectorate1
plural protectorates
- UKhistoricalGovernment by a protector; especially, The Protectorate: government of England, Scotland, and Ireland between 1653 and 1659 under the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth Oliver Cromwell, later his son Richard Cromwell.
- UKhistoricalThe office or position of the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth.
- The authority assumed by a state over another state deemed inferior or dependent, whereby the former protects the latter from invasion and shares in the management of its affairs but the protected state retains its nominal sovereignty.
Egypt became a British protectorate in 1914.
- An autonomous state under protectorate.
Protectorate2
- historicalThe British state from 1653 to 1659, under Oliver Cromwell and then Richard Cromwell.
Holonym: Interregnum
Synonyms: Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, Commonwealth
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe office or position of protector (sense 5).
proper nounThe British state from 1653 to 1659, under Oliver Cromwell and then Richard Cromwell.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna state or territory partly controlled by (but not a possession of) a stronger state but autonomous in internal affairs; protectorates are established by treaty
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
protectorate · noun
From protector + -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office, a system ruled by people of such office).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic الحِمَايَة
- الحِمَايَة (al-ḥimāya)government by a protector
Bulgarian регентство, протекторат
- регентство (regentstvo)government by a protector
- протекторат (protektorat)a protected autonomous state
Catalan protectorat, protectorat
- protectoratgovernment by a protector
- protectorata protected autonomous state
Chinese Mandarin 保護國 /保护国, 保護國 /保护国
- 保護國 /保护国 (bǎohùguó)government by a protector
- 保護國 /保护国 (bǎohùguó)a protected autonomous state
Czech protektorát
- protektorátgovernment by a protector
Danish protektorat
- protektorata protected autonomous state
Dutch protectoraat, protectoraat
- protectoraatgovernment by a protector
- protectoraata protected autonomous state
Esperanto protektorato
- protektoratogovernment by a protector
Finnish protektoraatti, protektoraatti
- protektoraattigovernment by a protector
- protektoraattia protected autonomous state
- suojelualuea protected autonomous state
French protectorat, protectorat
- protectoratgovernment by a protector
- protectorata protected autonomous state
German Protektorat, Schutzgebiet
- Protektoratgovernment by a protector
- Schutzgebietgovernment by a protector
- Protektorata protected autonomous state
- Schutzgebieta protected autonomous state
Indonesian protektorat, negara lindungan
- protektorata protected autonomous state
- negara lindungana protected autonomous state
Italian protettorato, protettorato
- protettoratogovernment by a protector
- protettoratoa protected autonomous state
Japanese 保護者による政府, 保護国
- 保護者による政府government by a protector
- 保護国 (hogokoku)a protected autonomous state
Korean 보호국
- 보호국 (bohoguk)a protected autonomous state
Malay negeri naungan
- negeri naungana protected autonomous state
Norwegian Bokmål protektorat, protektorat
- protektoratgovernment by a protector
- protektorata protected autonomous state
Polish protektorat, protektorat
- protektoratgovernment by a protector
- protektorata protected autonomous state
Portuguese protetorado, protetorado
- protetoradogovernment by a protector
- protetoradoa protected autonomous state
Russian протектора́т, протектора́т
- протектора́т (protɛktorát)government by a protector
- протектора́т (protɛktorát)a protected autonomous state
Spanish protectorado, protectorado
- protectoradogovernment by a protector
- protectoradoa protected autonomous state
Swahili nchi lindwa
- nchi lindwaa protected autonomous state
Swedish protektorat, protektorat
- protektoratgovernment by a protector
- protektorata protected autonomous state
Ukrainian протектора́т, протектора́т
- протектора́т (protektorát)government by a protector
- протектора́т (protektorát)a protected autonomous state
Welsh protectoriaeth, diffynwlad
- protectoriaethgovernment by a protector
- diffynwlada protected autonomous state
Cite this entry
protectorate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protectorate
“protectorate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protectorate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “protectorate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protectorate.
Source: protectorate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.