protettore
/pro.tetˈto.re/masculine
The English word "protector" is translated into Italian as protettore.
The term refers to someone who protects or guards. It is a noun.
Meaning: someone who protects or guards (noun)
Which one should you use?
The masculine singular form is protettore. To refer to a female protector, use the feminine singular form protettrice. For a group of male protectors, use the masculine plural protettori. If you are referring specifically to a group of female protectors, use the feminine plural protettrici.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun changes its ending to reflect gender and number: protettore is masculine singular, protettrice is feminine singular, protettori is masculine plural and protettrici is feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /pro.tetˈto.re/.
Did you know?
- The word protettore shares its linguistic roots with the English word 'protege', though a 'protege' is actually the one being protected rather than the protector.
- While protettore implies a guard, the related verb proteggere can also be used metaphorically in Italian to describe the act of shielding someone from a scandal or a difficult truth.
- The suffix -trice in protettrice is a remnant of the Latin feminine agent suffix, which is why it sounds quite different from the masculine -tore.
Examples in context
- Il Protettore della NazioneThe Protector of the Nation
- Il Custode della LeggeThe Guardian of the Law
- Il Guardiano del PatrimonioThe Guardian of the Heritage
- Il protettore delle persone deboli deve essere un uomo coraggioso.The protector of weak individuals must be a brave man.
- Elisa è una grande custode della natura.Elisa is a great protector of nature.
- Sono il suo guardiano fedele.I am her faithful protector.
- Il cane è il protettore della casa.The dog is the protector of the house.
Example conversation
Martina and Francesco are discussing their family roles.
- MartinaFrancesco, sei sempre il mio protettore.Francesco, you are always my protector.
- FrancescoLo faccio volentieri per te, Martina.I do it gladly for you, Martina.
- MartinaMi sento al sicuro con te.I feel safe with you.
- FrancescoSarò sempre il tuo protettore.I will always be your protector.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “protector” translations and entries protettore, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries protettore, CC BY-SA 4.0.
