| protector |
a person who guards against harm or danger; guardian. [2 definitions] |
| protectorate |
a smaller, weaker, or less developed country or territory under the protection and partial control of a larger or stronger one. |
| protégé |
a person under the care or sponsorship of an influential patron. |
| protégée |
a girl or woman under the care or sponsorship of an influential patron. |
| protein |
any of a group of complex organic compounds containing nitrogen and composed of chains of amino acids, found in all living organisms and considered essential to all animal life processes. |
| proteinuria |
the presence of excess protein in the urine. |
| pro tem |
abbreviation of "pro tempore" (Latin); for the time being; temporarily. |
| pro tempore |
(Latin) for a time; for the time being; temporarily. [2 definitions] |
| proteolysis |
the breaking down of proteins by gastric secretions into simpler, soluble compounds, as in digestion. |
| proteose |
any of several water-soluble compounds derived from the breakdown of proteins during digestion. |
| Proterozoic |
see "Algonkian." |
| protest |
a statement or other expression of objection or dissent. [7 definitions] |
| Protestant |
any Christian, esp. in the West, who belongs to a non-Catholic church. [3 definitions] |
| Protestant Episcopal Church |
a U.S. church descended from and modeled on the Church of England but separate and autonomous since 1789; Episcopal Church. |
| Protestant ethic |
a set of beliefs in the moral virtue of productive work, self-discipline, and frugality; Protestant work ethic; work ethic. |
| protestation |
an emphatic or earnest declaration. [3 definitions] |
| protester |
one who formally declares oneself against a policy, action, or decision. [2 definitions] |
| Proteus |
in Greek mythology, a sea god who can change his shape or appearance at will. |
| prothallium |
a tiny, flat, circular mass, bearing the sexual organs on the underside, that is produced in the sexual generation of ferns, some mosses, and related plants. |
| prothrombin |
a protein in blood plasma that combines with calcium during clotting to form thrombin. |
| protium |
the nonradioactive, most common isotope of hydrogen, having one proton and no neutrons in the nucleus of each atom. (Cf. deuterium, tritium.) |