1111
Proust, Marcel
pro·tec·tion·ism /prə'tekʃənɪzəm/ n [U] often derog the
system of protecting one's own country's trade, especially by
TARIFFS —ist n
pro'tection ,racket n infml a system by which criminals
demand money from the owners of shops, restaurants etc,
for protection against damage that would be caused by the
criminals themselves if the owners refused to pay
pro·tec·tive /prə'tektɪv/ adj 1 [A no comp.] that gives protec-
tion: protective clothing | protective colouring on an insect's
body (=making it difficult for enemies to see) | a protective
tariff (=tax on foreign goods) 2 [(towards)] wishing to protect:
She's too protective/overprotective towards her children; she
should let them be more independent. —ly adv —ness n [U]
pro,tective 'custody n [U] the state of being kept by the
police for one's own safety
pro·tec·tor /prə'tektər/ n 1 a person or thing that protects:
a chest protector 2 (usually cap.) (in former times) a prince or
nobleman appointed to govern England during the child-
hood or illness of the king
Protector → see LORD PROTECTOR
pro·tec·tor·ate /prə'tektərət/ n 1 a country controlled
and protected by a more powerful nation that takes charge
especially of its defence and foreign affairs 2 also
pro·tec·tor·ship /prə'tektəʃɪp||-'tektər-/ — the time during
which a PROTECTOR governs
prot·é·gé /'prɒtɪʒeɪ||'proʊ-/, protégée (same pronunciation)
fem. — n a person who is guided and helped by someone of
influence or power: the prime minister's protégé
pro·tein /'prəʊtiːn/ n [C;U] any of many substances present
in such foods as meat, eggs, and beans that help to build up
the body and keep it healthy: a high-protein diet
pro tem /,prəʊ 'tem/ adv now but only for a short time; for
the present only
pro·test¹ /'prəʊtest/ n [C;U] 1 (a) complaint or strong
expression of disapproval, disagreement, opposition etc: The
local people have made a strong protest to/registered their
protest with the minister about the new airport. | a protest
march/vote | They refused to buy the company's goods in
protest against/as a protest against the way it treated its
workers. | He went to bed without protest. (=calmly) 2 under
protest unwillingly and feeling that something is not just: I
would like it on record that I signed under protest.
pro·test² /prə'test/ v 1 [[about, against, at]] to express one's
disagreement, feeling of unfairness, annoyance etc: The
footballers all protested bitterly to the referee (about his
decision). | There was a large crowd in the square, protesting
against the war. | He protested vehemently as they took him
away. 2 [T] to declare in complaint or opposition: She
protested her innocence. | [+that] She protested that she knew
nothing about the stolen goods. 3 [T] AmE to make a protest
against: a large crowd protesting the war 4 the lady doth
protest too much, methinks quote a phrase from Shake-
speare's play Hamlet used when saying that someone seems to
be denying (DENY) something too strongly, which suggests
that it might be true —er n: Police arrested several of the
peace protesters.
Prot·es·tant /'prɒtɪstənt||'prɑː-/ n a member of a part of
the Christian church that separated from the Roman Catho-
lic Church in the 16th century. There are many different
Protestant groups, including the Anglicans, Methodists,
Presbyterians, and Baptists, but in general Protestants
believe that religious and moral principles should be based
more on the Bible than on the traditions of the church or
on rules made by the Pope. Protestant religious services are
usually more simple than Catholic ones. In the US and the
UK, most Christians belong to Protestant groups.
—Protestant adj —Protestantism n [U]
prot·es·ta·tion /,prɒtɪ'steɪʃən, ,prɑː-||,prɑː-, ,prɒ-/ n
infml 1 [C(of)] a solemn declaration: protestations of friend-
ship 2 [U(against)] the expression of disagreement
protest ,march n a march usually by a large number of
people made to express disapproval, disagreement or oppo-
sition, usually concerning a political subject → see also
VIETNAM WAR
CULTURAL NOTE In London, protest marches often end
with a large meeting in Hyde Park where the crowd listen
to people making speeches. In the US, protest marches
usually take place near a building or place which people
think of in connection with what they are protesting about,
e.g. an EMBASSY or government building. Protest marches
held in Washington, D.C., often go to the Capitol or the
White House.
'protest ,song n a song written and sung to express disap-
proval, disagreement or opposition, usually concerning a
social or political subject, e.g. the songs against war of the
1960s by Bob DYLAN and others → see also VIETNAM WAR
proto- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
pro·to·col /'prəʊtəkɒl||-kɑːl/ n 1 [U] the ceremonial system
of fixed rules and accepted behaviour used especially by
representatives of governments on official occasions: Proto-
col demands that the queen meet him at the airport. | a breach
of (=failure to follow) diplomatic protocol 2 [C] tech an
established method of connecting computers or electronic
equipment so that they can exchange DATA: We have to use a
different protocol with this new modem.
pro·ton /'prəʊtɒn||-tɑːn/ n a very small piece of matter that
carries POSITIVE electricity and that together with the NEU-
TRON forms the NUCLEUS (=central part) of an atom → see
also ELECTRON
pro·to·plas·m /'prəʊtə,plæzəm/ n [U] the colourless jelly-
like living substance from which all plants and creatures are
formed
pro·to·type /'prəʊtətaɪp/ n [(of)] the first form of some-
thing, especially of a machine or industrial product, from
which all later forms develop, sometimes with improve-
ments: the prototype of a new car
pro·to·zo·a /,prəʊtə'zəʊə/ n [P] very small single-celled
living things that can be seen only under a microscope
pro·to·zo·an, -on /,prəʊtə'zəʊən/ n a single member of the
protozoa —protozoan adj
pro·tract /prə'trækt||prɑː-/ v [T] to make the time during
which (something) lasts long or longer, often without good
reason: a protracted argument | protracted pay negotiations →
compare PROLONG —ion /'trækʃən/ n [U]
pro·trac·tor /prə'træktər||prɑː-/ n an instrument, usually
in the form of a half-circle, used for measuring and drawing
angles
pro·trude /prə'truːd||prɑː-/ v [I(from)] to stick out from a
place or through a surface: He glimpsed a gun protruding
from the man's pocket. | protruding teeth → compare
OBTRUDE
pro·tru·sion /prə'truːʒən||prɑː-/ n 1 [C] something that
protrudes 2 [U] the act of protruding
pro·tu·ber·ance /prə'tjuːbərəns||prɑː'tuː-/ n infml a swell-
ing; BULGE: protuberances on a flower stem
pro·tu·ber·ant /prə'tjuːbərənt||prɑː'tuː-/ adj swelling or
curving outwards: a protuberant stomach —ly adv
proud /praʊd/ adj 1 apprec showing proper and reasonable
respect for oneself: They're poor but proud. | too proud to
accept money from the state 2 derog having too high an
opinion of oneself and one's own importance; ARROGANT:
Lord Ponsonby is so proud he won't even speak to people like
us. | You're really proud of yourself, aren't you? 3 [(of)]
having, expressing, or causing personal satisfaction and
pleasure in something connected with oneself: Tom is very
proud of his new car. | The factory's safety record is something
it can be proud of. | [+to-v] She was proud to be invited to
speak. | [+ (that)] We are very proud that a pupil from our
school has won the prize. | It was a proud day for her parents
when she qualified as a doctor. → see also HOUSE-
PROUD 4 tech, especially BrE sticking out above a surface or
surrounding area 5 do someone proud infml to treat some-
one, especially a guest, splendidly → see also PRIDE —ly adv
Proulx, E. An·nie /pruː, 'æni/ (1935–) a US writer whose
first novel, Postcards, was PUBLISHED when she was 51 years
old. Her books often deal with the things that tie families
together, especially poor families living in a difficult envi-
ronment. Her best-known novel, The Shipping News, won a
Pulitzer Prize in 1994.
Proust, Mar·cel /pruːst, 'maːsel||maːr'sel/ (1871–1922) a
French writer of novels, considered to be one of the greatest
writers of modern times. His best known work is a series of