protectantadj.n.
/prəˈtɛkt(ə)nt/, U.S. /prəˈtɛkt(ə)nt/ A. adj. rare before mid 20th cent.
Protective; (now) spec. providing protection against disease, injury, or pests.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > [adjective] > affording protection or defence
defendantc1330
defensivea1400
defensory1552
fensive1582
protectingc1595
defensative1596
secureful1598
fenceful1616
friendly1628
protective1653
protectory1654
screening?a1656
protectant1670
warding1697
safeguard1822
shielding1851
cushioning1887
tutorial1898
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > [adjective] > protectant
protectant1943
1670 T. Garencières tr. Famous Conclave wherein Clement VIII was elected Pope 29 He would be his friend, and would always be graciously protectant of his Majesty.
1943 Phytopathology 33 627 (heading) The slide-germination method of evaluating protectant fungicides.
1977 Protecting World's Crops (Shell Internat. Petroleum Co.) 2 Protectant fungicides, if applied before the disease occurs, kill or inhibit the development of fungal spores or mycelia..before they can damage plant tissues.
1993 Plant Dis. 77 831 The relative efficacy of chlorothalonil, a protectant fungicide, appeared to be independent of hazelnut phenology.
B. n.
A protective agent or device; spec. a substance that protects against disease, injury, or pests.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > [noun] > protectant or safener
medication1626
medicating1707
protectant1876
wash1921
safener1933
1876 Med. Times (Philadelphia) 29 Apr. 364/1 Upon a healthy granulating surface it [sc. silver nitrate] may act as a stimulant,..upon painful fissures as a protectant, by coagulating the albumen and giving rest to the part.
1915 Sunday Rev. (Decatur, Illinois) 11 July i. 1/3 The enemy left in our hands..an oxygen apparatus designed as a protectant against asphyxiating gases.
1928 Lect. Plant Pathol. & Physiol. 167 No copper protectant which can be regarded as an improvement over Bordeaux mixture has as yet been discovered.
1975 Nature 22 May 329/1 It is clear that as a protectant, sclareol is highly specific for rust fungi.
1993 S. J. Ettinger Pocket Compan. Textbk. Vet. Internal Med. lxxxiii. 438 Additional symptomatic therapy such as intestinal protectants, cathartics, and fluid therapy is sometimes required.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1670