tutelage

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>tutelage</strong> &#149; \TOO-tuh-lij\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><strong>1 a :</strong> instruction especially of an individual</p> <p><strong>b :</strong> a guiding influence</p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> the state of being under a guardian or tutor</p> <p><strong>3 a :</strong> an act or process of serving as guardian or protector <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guardianship">guardianship</a></p> <p><strong>b :</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hegemony">hegemony</a> over a foreign territory: <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trusteeship">trusteeship</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>Under the <em>tutelage</em> of her high school swim coach, Lynn has greatly improved her times at meets.</p> <p>"[Jarett Stidham] brings mobility to the position, something the Patriots haven't had with Tom Brady, and could surprise under the <em>tutelage</em> of future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick." — <a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/nfl/bs-sp-nfl-second-year-breakout-candidates-20200530-ghbfoxri4fhx5pjjgr4qsmppb4-story.html">C. J. Doon, <em>The Baltimore Sun</em>, 30 May 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>The Latin verb <em>tueri</em> means "to look at" or "to guard." When <em>tutelage</em> first began appearing in print in the early 1600s, it was used mainly in the protective sense of <em>tueri</em>, as writers described serfs and peasants of earlier eras as being "under the tutelage of their lord." Over time, however, the word's meaning shifted away from guardianship and toward instruction. This pattern of meaning can also be seen in the related nouns <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tutor">tutor</a></em>, which shifted from