Protectorate
Pronunciation : Pro*tect"or*ate
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [Cf. F. protectorat.]
Definition : 1. Government by a protector; -- applied especially to the government of England by Oliver Cromwell.
2. The authority assumed by a superior power over an inferior or a dependent one, whereby the former protects the latter from invasion and shares in the management of its affairs.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913