# protected

Pronunciation: say "pruh-TEK-tid" /pɹəˈtɛktɪd/

## Adjective

1. Guarded and kept safe from harm, attack, or potential damage.
   - Simple: Kept safe and defended from harm or danger.
   - _Ships shelter here because the harbor lies in a protected bay._
   - _Endangered cranes enjoy protected status across the whole region._
3. Marked with the access modifier that lets subclasses use a program element while keeping it hidden from the rest of the program.
   - Simple: Marked in a program so only related parts can use it, not the whole program.
   - _The base class declares a protected field that its subclasses inherit and modify._
   - _Keeping the helper method protected hides it from outside code but lets subclasses override it._

## Verb

2. Simple past and past participle of protect. — simple past and past participle of protect
   - Simple: Simple past and past participle of protect. Use this form for something that already happened.
   - _The thick walls protected the villagers from raiders for centuries._
   - _The witness was protected by police officers throughout the trial._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/protected (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).