Wordwyrt

protective

/pɹəˈtektɪv/pruh-TEK-tiv
/pɹəˈtɛktɪv/pruh-TEK-tiv

Meaningserving to protect

Common meaning: giving shelter or defence

‘forward’ + ‘to cover’ → protective

Journey through time

  1. Proto-Indo-European*stag-‘cover, thatch, roof over’source
  2. Latintegō, tēxī, tēctum‘to cover’
  3. Middle Englishprotectoursource
  4. Englishprotect‘to keep safe’
  5. Englishformed in English from protectprotective‘giving shelter or defence’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from protect + -ive.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), PROTECT, p.472 · scan

Roots

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app