pro ‧ tec ‧ tor ‧ ate /prəˈtekt ə rət, prəˈtekt ə rɪt/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ protection , ↑ protector , ↑ protectionism , ↑ protectionist , ↑ protectiveness , ↑ protectorate ; adjective : ↑ protected ≠ ↑ unprotected , ↑ protective , ↑ protectionist ; verb : ↑ protect ; adverb : ↑ protectively ]
a country that is protected and controlled by a more powerful country