# protective

Pronunciation: say "pruh-TEK-tiv" US/UK /pɹəˈtɛk.tɪv/, AUS /pɹəˈtek.tɪv/

## Adjective

1. Serving or intended to keep someone or something safe from harm or damage.
   - Simple: Made or used to keep someone or something safe from harm.
   - _The factory issued protective eyewear to all workers on the line._
   - _A thick protective coating shields the metal pipes from rust._
2. Having a strong wish to protect someone or something, and tending to defend them.
   - Simple: Feeling a strong wish to keep someone safe and to defend them.
   - _She felt fiercely protective of her younger colleagues during the meeting._
   - _New parents often become protective of their newborn around visitors._

## Noun

3. An object or device that keeps a person or thing safe from harm or damage. *(British)*
   - Simple: A thing that keeps a person or object safe from harm.
   - _The batsman checked that the protective covering his shin was secure._
   - _Workshop staff stored the protectives for the cutting machines in a locker._
4. A discreet or indirect word for a condom.
   - Simple: A polite word for a condom, used to stop disease or pregnancy.
   - _She kept a protective tucked in her purse for emergencies._
   - _The pharmacy sold protectives from a shelf behind the counter._

## Origin

Borrowed from Medieval Latin "prōtēctīvus." By surface analysis, it can be read as "protect" plus the suffix "-ive."

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