unprotected

English

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *né

Proto-Indo-European *n̥-

Proto-Germanic *un-

Proto-West Germanic *un-

Old English un-

Middle English un-

English un-

English protected

English unprotected

From un- + protected.

Adjective

unprotected (comparative more unprotected, superlative most unprotected)

1. Not protected; lacking defence or protection; exposed.

   Synonym: improtected

   Antonym: protected

   • 1794, Charlotte Smith, chapter II, in The Banished Man. […], volume II, London: […] T[homas] Cadell, Jun. and W[illiam] Davies, (successors to Mr. [Thomas] Cadell) […], →OCLC, page 45:

     The dread of leaving his daughter deſolate and unprotected in a ſtrange country, had been ſo great, that he had denied himſelf even the few comforts he could have obtained, becauſe he deſired to reſerve the little money he had left to ſend her back to Warſaw, […]

   • 1880, William Blades, The Enemies of Books, page 35:

     A well-gilt top to a book is a great preventive against damage by dust, while to leave books with rough tops and unprotected is sure to produce stains and dirty margins.

   • 1909 October, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “Expostulations”, in Ann Veronica: A Modern Love Story, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers, published 1909, →OCLC, § 5, page 130:

     I can't help you a cent. Life's hard enough nowadays for an unprotected male. Let alone a girl.

   • 1941, Theodore Roethke, “Prognosis”, in Open House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, London: Faber and Faber […], 1968, →OCLC, page 5:

     Flesh behind steel and glass is unprotected / From enemies that whisper to the blood; / The scratch forgotten is the scratch infected; / The ruminant, reason, chews a poisoned cud.

   • 1944 January and February, “Light Railways in Derbyshire”, in Railway Magazine, page 25:

     The level crossings at Stretton and at the point where the A.L.R. crosses the main road south of Stretton are provided with gates; other crossings are unprotected, save for cattle-guards.

Derived terms

• unprotectedly
• unprotectedness
• unprotected sex

Translations

not protected

• Bulgarian: незащитен (bg) (nezaštiten)
• Czech: nechráněný (cs) m
• Danish: ubeskyttet
• Dutch: onbeschermd (nl)
• Finnish: suojaamaton
• German: ungeschützt (de)
• Hindi: अरक्षित (hi) (arakṣit)
• Hungarian: védtelen (hu)
• Italian: improtetto m
• Māori: parengakore
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ubeskyttet, ubeskytta

• Romanian: neprotejat

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

unprotected

1. simple past and past participle of unprotect