Where does “protégé” come from?
Protégé comes from French protégé, the past participle of French protéger, from Latin protegere meaning "to cover or shield," combining Latin pro with a root from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH-.
protégé (English): A person who is guided and supported by an older...
Definitions
- A person who is guided and supported by an older...
Ancestry of “protégé”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | protégé | past participle of protéger |
| 2 | French | protéger | to protect |
| 3 | Latin | protegere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 4 | Latin | prō- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |