1. keep safe from harm or injury: "he tried to protect Kelly from the attack"
▪ preserve or guarantee by means of formal or legal measures: "free speech is protected under Article 33 of the Constitution"
▪ aim to preserve (a threatened species or area) by legislating against hunting, collecting, or development: "the first federal legislation protecting bison was enacted in 1894"
▪ shield (a domestic industry) from competition by imposing import duties on foreign goods: "Japan's Ministry of Trade & Industry erected barriers to protect the country's infant computer industry"
▪ restrict access to or use of (data or a memory location):"security products are designed to protect information from unauthorized access"
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin protect- ‘covered in front’, from the verb protegere, from pro- ‘in front’ + tegere ‘to cover’.
