protégé

• protege

Borrowed from French protégé, past participle of protéger (“to protect”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒt.ə.ʒeɪ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹoʊ.təˌʒeɪ/

protégé (plural protégés)

1. A person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced person (a protector or mentor).

   His status as a protégé of the great artist had many benefits, but was ultimately a burden.

   Synonyms: apprentice, (more informal) mentee, pupil

   • 2006, August 28, Sylvia Nasar and David Gruber, Manifold Destiny, The New Yorker:

     While Yau was in China, he visited Xi-Ping Zhu, a protégé of his who was now chairman of the mathematics department at Sun Yat-sen University.

• protégée (feminine form)

• ward

• IPA^(key): /pʁɔ.te.ʒe/

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protégé (feminine protégée, masculine plural protégés, feminine plural protégées)

1. past participle of protéger (protected)

• “protégé”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

From French protéger (“to protect”), compare Haitian Creole pwoteje.

protégé

1. to protect

• Alcée Fortier, Louisiana Folktales