protectorate

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pro·tec·tor·ate / prəˈtektərət/ • n. 1. a state that is controlled and protected by another. ∎  the relationship between a state of this kind and the one that controls it: a French protectorate had been established over Tunis.2. (usu. Protectorate) hist. the position or period of office of a Protector, esp. that in England of Oliver and Richard Cromwell.

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