tutelary

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 11, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>tutelary</strong> &#149; \TOO-tuh-lair-ee\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> having the guardianship of a person or a thing</p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> of or relating to a guardian</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>The ancient Romans revered certain gods and goddesses as <em>tutelary</em> deities.</p> <p>"There are comedy bits, fabulous costumes (by Toni-Leslie James) and musical interludes, some involving Marilyn Monroe (Sawyer Smith) as a <em>tutelary</em> spirit." — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/04/theater/ms-blakk-for-president-review-tarell-mccraney.html">Jesse Green, <em>The New York Times</em>, 4 Jun. 2019</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Tutelary</em> derives from the Latin noun <em>tutelarius</em>, meaning "guardian." <em>Tutelarius</em>, in turn, was formed by combining the word <em>tutela</em> ("protection" or "guardian") and <em>-arius</em>, a suffix that implies belonging and connection. A more familiar descendant of <em>tutela</em> in English might be <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tutelage">tutelage</a></em>, which initially referred to guardianship or protection, but came to be used to refer to teaching or influence. If you suspect that <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tutor">tutor</a></em> is also related, you are correct. <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tutelary#h2">Tutelary</a></em> can also be a noun referring to a power (such as a deity) who acts as a guardian.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>