pro-state /'prosteit; NAmE'pra:s-/ (also 'prostate gland) noun a small organ in men, near the bladder, that produces a liquid in which sperm is carried prosthesis /pms'Biisis; NAmE pra:s-/ noun (pi. pros- theses /-'0i:si:z/) (medical IS) an artificial part of the body, for example a leg, an eye or a tooth 1A        ) pros-thet-ic /pros'Setik; NAmEpra:s-/

adj.: a prosthetic arm jgff

pros thet ics /pros'Getiks; NAmE pra:s-/ noun 1 [pi.] arti­ficial parts of the body f§*# (

2 [U] the activity of making or attaching artificial body

parts nmm (      ); xmm (>

pros ti tute /'prostitjuit; NAmE 'prcustatuit/ noun, verb m noun a person who has sex for money HM#;

J§&

m verb [VN] 1 ~ sth/yourself to use your skills, abilities, etc. to do sth that earns you money but that other people do not respect because you are capable of doing sth better M X X it; If £1 g B : Many felt he was prostituting his talents by writing Hollywood scripts.

tig      n

2 ~ yourself to work as a prostitute pros ti tu tion /.prnsti’tjuijn; NAmE .praista'tuijn/ noun [U] 1 the work of a prostitute Hi; A M ; ^ k $£: Many women were forced into prostitution, if ^ $3 A ® o child prostitution JIM MM 2 ~ of sth (formal) the use of your abilities on sth of little value

.( isfcJftJl )

pros trate adj., verb

»adj. /‘prostreit; NAmE ‘prais-/ (formal) 1 lying on the ground and facing downwards     ; g/l H to ;

to: They fell prostrate in worship. iMlf? PJ/tifko 0 He stumbled over Luke’s prostrate body,       if ffij /E X

tolHEXo.* 2 ~ (with sth) so shocked, upset, etc. that you cannot do anything 0        ) jEE #J: She was

prostrate with grief after her son’s death.

o

verb /pm'streit; A/AmE 'praistreit/ [VN] 1 ~ yourself to lie on your front with your face looking downwards, espe­cially as an act of worship 2 [usually passive]

to make sb feel weak, shocked, and unable to do anything —9$MM', {£ A IE A PTTCl overcome: He was expecting to find her prostrated by the tragedy.

0 For months he was

prostrated with grief. U ft HMD  B 0

prostration /pro'streijn; NAmE prai's-/ noun [U] (formal) 1 extreme physical weakness fflj'MfjJf-i Ma state of prostration brought on by the heat #    I#.    2 the action of lying with your face

downwards, especially in worship prot ac tin ium /.prautaek'tiniam; NAmE proof noun [U] (symb Pa) a chemical element. Protactinium is a radio­active metal found naturally when uranium decays.

m <    >

prot ag on ist /pra'taegamst/ noun (formal) 1 the main character in a play, film/movie or book (

X to ) ± ^ A ± A £•, X ^ — compare hero(2) 2 one of the main people in a real event, especially a competition, battle or struggle (  AX A to ) XU

A#J, if         3 an active supporter of a policy or

movement, especially one that is trying to change sth ( HfclA  ) fHI#, W# Sia CHAMPION: a

leading protagonist of the conservation movement

pro-tea /'prautia; NAmE proof noun 1 a type of bush found in South Africa with large flowers with thick orange or pink outer leaves       Fr

) 2 the flower itself, which is one of South Africa’s national symbols # ^ ^ )

pro-tean /’prautian; prau'tiian; NAmE 'prou-; proo't-/ adj. (literary) able to change quickly and easily to;

Jjr$to; 3££lA#to: a protean character pro te ase /'prautieiz; NAmE proof noun (biology X) a substance in the body that breaks down proteins and

PEPTIDES       ( 7KM ) @1

pro-tect On /pra'tekt/ verb 1 ~ (sb/sth) (against/from sth) to make sure that sb/sth

1593

is not harmed, injured, damaged, etc. ; $ftp: [VN] Troops have been sent to protect aid workers against attack. o They

huddled together to protect themselves from the wind, fife d ^, ifWo O Each company is fighting to protect its own commercial interests. ftjijiftF}Mftfttl UP g B to     o o [V] a paint that helps protect

against rust |2 [VN] [usually passive] to introduce laws that make it illegal to kill, harm or damage a particular animal, area of land, building, etc. ( rjjiJ W ) UP: a protected area/species        toiifeE /

3                  [VN] [usually passive] to help an industry in your own

country by taxing goods from other countries so that there is less competition (    Aft )  ( SAX

ik ) ; %'ff^i^UP: protected markets ^UPMW%>

4                  ~ (sb/sth) (against sth) to provide sb/sth with insur­ance against fire, injury, damage, etc. ft U; A • • • 55 U : [VN] Many policies do not protect you against personal injury. U0U*$-MM d XUWAftiF^o [also V]

pro tec tion o-m /pra'tekjn/ noun 1 [U] ~ (for/of sb/sth) (against/from sth) the act of protecting sb/sth; the state of being protected ft ; Kf X : Wear clothes that provide adequate protection against the wind and rain. 0 He

asked to be put under police protection, fife if M HF A ft 0 o the conservation and protection of the environ­ment Ffiito^l ft-Pf^ft 0 data protection laws WiPiU d & 2 [C] ~ (against sth) a thing that protects sb/sth against sth       l/1 If#: They wore the charm as a

protection against evil spirits, fik111 ® If d If Ff \iXW.ffl0 3 [U] - (against sth) insurance against fire, injury, damage, etc. : Our policy offers complete protection against fire and theft.

0       4 [U] the system of helping an industry in your

own country by taxing foreign goods iU.

d M : The government is ready to introduce protection for the car industry. iEfcJft®

5                  [U] the system of paying criminals so that they will not attack your business or property ( if in IE W ft MM

to pay protection money 0 to run a protection racket

pro tec tion ism /pra’tekj'amzam/ noun [U] the prin­ciple or practice of protecting a country’s own industry by taxing foreign goods ( % Fh ) U if3 ± X pro-tec- tion-ist /-Jamst/ adj. ■. protectionist policies

pro-tect-ive /pra'tektiv/ adj. 1 [only before noun] providing or intended to provide protection  Kj

f3 d: Workers should wear full protective clothing. X AJSZil^Flr^SlA^jlo 0 a protective layer of varnish }# '/f Kj d M 0 a protective barrier against the sun’s rays Kj BB P 2 ~ (of/towards sb/sth) having or showing a wish to protect sb/sth tBX (     She had

been fiercely protective towards him as a teenager. Mil 0 He was extremely protective of his role as advisor. ftk©/j(£d § B d M fnJ M o He put a protective arm around her shoulders.

0 Parents can easily become over-protective of their children (= want to protect them too much).        Jit3 intended to give

an advantage to your own country’s industry ftl

■ft** 0i fa ft; M'ff&nUP &X protective tariffs UP

'14 A pro-tect-ive-ly adv. : She clutched her bag protectively.        pro-tect-ive-

ness noun [U]

protective ‘custody noun [u] the state of being kept in prison for your own safety UP‘I4#J ]§;

pro tect or /pra'tekta(r)/ noun a person, an organiza­tion or a thing that protects sb/sth (£jf/A ( hScXIR. ^ S# ) : I regarded him as my friend and protector. ft fife A ^ A ^ ^ # o O the company’s image as a

protector of the environment

0 Hard hats and ear protectors are provided,

pro tect or ate /pra'tektarat/ noun 1 [C] a country that is controlled and protected by a more powerful country — compare colony(I) 2 [U] the