tutela

See also: tutelá and Tutela

English

Noun

tutela (plural tutelas)

1. (law) A constitutional process in Colombia by which an individual can seek immediate protection of his/her rights when those are being violated.

Catalan

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin tūtēla.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [tuˈte̞.lə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central) [tuˈtɛ.lə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [tuˈtɛ.la]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛla
• Hyphenation: tu‧te‧la

Noun

tutela f (plural tuteles)

1. custody
2. guardianship

Derived terms

• tutelar

Further reading

• “tutela”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Galician

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin tueor

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-léh₂

Proto-Italic *-ēlā

Latin -ēla

Latin tūtēlader.

Galician tutela

Derived from Latin tūtēla.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tuˈtɛla/ [t̪uˈt̪ɛ.lɐ]
• Rhymes: -ɛla
• Hyphenation: tu‧te‧la

Noun

tutela f (plural tutelas)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Further reading

• “tutela”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tuˈtɛ.la/
• Rhymes: -ɛla
• Hyphenation: tu‧tè‧la

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin tūtēla.

Noun

tutela f (plural tutele)

1. (law) guardianship, tutorship

   Synonym: curatela

2. protection

Derived terms

• autotutela
• tutelare (verb)

Etymology 2

Verb

tutela

1. inflection of tutelare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

References

• “tutela”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin tueor

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-léh₂

Proto-Italic *-ēlā

Latin -ēla

Latin tūtēla

From tueor (“watch; guard”) + -ēla.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [tuːˈteː.ɫa]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [tuˈtɛː.la]

Noun

tūtēla f (genitive tūtēlae); first declension

1. tutelage, guardianship
   • 68 BCE – 44 BCE, Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 1.5.6:

     De Tadiana re mecum Tadius locutus est te ita scripsisse, nihil esse iam, quod laboraretur, quoniam hereditas usu capta esset. Id mirabamur te ignorare, de tutela legitima, in qua dicitur esse puella, nihil usu capi posse.

     • Translation by Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh

       As to the business of Tadius. He tells me that you have written him word that there was no need of farther trouble, since the property is secured by prescription. I am surprised that you do not know that in the case of a statutory wardship of an unmarried girl prescription cannot be pleaded.

2. dependent, client
3. watching, keeping, charge, care

   Synonyms: cūra, cultūra, cūrātiō, sollicitūdō

4. safeguard, defence, protection

   Synonyms: dēfēnsiō, dēfēnsa, prōtēctiō, vindicātiō

   • c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 4.109–111:

     Invitent croceis [apes] halantes floribus horti
     Et custos furum atque avium cum falce saligna
     Hellespontiaci servet tutela Priapi.

     May gardens bright, fragrant with flower, lure them [the bees] and Hellespontian Priap with his willow scythe the robbing bee and the birds keep away.

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	tūtēla	tūtēlae
genitive	tūtēlae	tūtēlārum
dative	tūtēlae	tūtēlīs
accusative	tūtēlam	tūtēlās
ablative	tūtēlā	tūtēlīs
vocative	tūtēla	tūtēlae

Descendants

• Catalan: tutela
• Galician: tutela
• Italian: tutela
• Old French: tutele, tutelle
  • French: tutelle
  • → Middle English: tutele (“female guardian or protector”)
• → English: tutele (“tutelage”)
• Portuguese: tutela
• Romanian: tutelă
• Sicilian: tutila
• Spanish: tutela

References

• “tutela”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “tutela”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "tutela", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “tutela”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “tutela”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “tutela”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Maltese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin tueor

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-léh₂

Proto-Italic *-ēlā

Latin -ēla

Latin tūtēlalbor.

Italian tutelabor.

Maltese tutela

Borrowed from Italian tutela.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tuˈtɛː.la/
• Rhymes: -ɛːla

Noun

tutela f (plural tuteli)

1. (law) guardianship, tutorship

Related terms

• ttutela
• tutelari
• tutur

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Latin tueor

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-léh₂

Proto-Italic *-ēlā

Latin -ēla

Latin tūtēlader.

Portuguese tutela

Derived from Latin tūtēla.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /tuˈtɛ.lɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tuˈtɛ.lɐ/

• Hyphenation: tu‧te‧la

Noun

tutela f (plural tutelas)

1. guardianship, tutorship

   Synonym: curatela

Related terms

• tutelar

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

tutela

1. inflection of tutelar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “tutela”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “tutela” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “tutela”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin tueor

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-léh₂

Proto-Italic *-ēlā

Latin -ēla

Latin tūtēlalbor.

French tutellebor.

Romanian tutelă

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Romanian -a

Romanian tutela

From tutelă + -a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tu.teˈla/

Verb

a tutela (third-person singular present tutelează, past participle tutelat) 1st conjugation

1. to mentor, to have a protégé

Conjugation

    conjugation of tutela (first conjugation, -ez- infix)

infinitive			a tutela
gerund			tutelând
past participle			tutelat
number		singular			plural
person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	tutelez	tutelezi	tutelează	tutelăm	tutelați	tutelează
	imperfect	tutelam	tutelai	tutela	tutelam	tutelați	tutelau
	simple perfect	tutelai	tutelași	tutelă	tutelarăm	tutelarăți	tutelară
	pluperfect	tutelasem	tutelaseși	tutelase	tutelaserăm	tutelaserăți	tutelaseră
subjunctive		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	să tutelez	să tutelezi	să tuteleze	să tutelăm	să tutelați	să tuteleze
imperative		—	tu	—	—	voi	—
	affirmative		tutelează			tutelați
	negative		nu tutela			nu tutelați

Derived terms

• tutelare

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tuˈtela/ [t̪uˈt̪e.la]
• Rhymes: -ela
• Syllabification: tu‧te‧la

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Latin tueor

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-léh₂

Proto-Italic *-ēlā

Latin -ēla

Latin tūtēlader.

Spanish tutela

Derived from Latin tūtēla.

Noun

tutela f (plural tutelas)

1. custody

   Synonym: custodia

2. guardianship

   Synonym: tutoría

3. title

   Synonym: título

Derived terms

• tutela judicial
• tutela judicial efectiva

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

tutela

1. inflection of tutelar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “tutela”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025