means A person or thing that defends, guards, or shields someone or something from harm.

from From Latin protectus, the past participle of protegere — built from pro- 'in front' and tegere 'to cover.' So at its root a protector is literally one who covers you from the front, like a roof thrown over your head or a shield held before your body. (Tegere is the same root that gives us 'tile' and 'toga' — all things that cover.) It reached English through Old French in the late medieval period.