What is a protege? First, not what, but who. Secondly, we will understand today the meaning of this term. We will also talk about what kind it is, whether the word “protégé” is inclined, and also clarify no less interesting details.
Rod, case (technical part)
First, in order not to obscure your linguistic journey, you need to deal with the technical part, which involves answers to questions about gender, case. Then, in the context, when we find out the meaning of the word “protégé”, we establish how it is possible to replace the foreign word that came to us from the French language.
The word "protégé" belongs to a common genus. This means that in a sentence it can be consistent with other parts of speech, both masculine and feminine. On cases does not change. In all cases - “protege”. Now it’s clear what kind of word “protégé” is.
Meaning
A protege is a person who is helped in his career by an influential or wealthy patron. Can wealth and influence go hand in hand? Yes, as a rule, it is, but not always. For example, doctors of science cannot be called rich people, but they are able to be patrons and to promote the promotion of a person who they liked. We will talk about who and how to become a protege below.
How to get into the blessed caste called “protege”?
There are two ways:
- Have a beautiful appearance.
- Possess powerful intelligence.
Of course, men will think that the first path is characteristic of the female sex, and they will be mistaken, because patrons are not only honored patriarchs, but also venerable matrons. Therefore, cute young men should not be discounted.
It also happens that a person cannot be called beautiful, but nevertheless he has a core, dedication and mind. Such qualities are also held in high esteem by patrons of any gender. For example, if a professor is looking for a successor or student (which, in fact, is one and the same).
True, sometimes neither one nor the other guarantees anything. This is the case if a powerful philanthropist has his own fetish for young people, for example, he patronizes extremely talented violinists or supports only capable poets. And talents can be different in their external and internal qualities. As a rule, when God rewards a gift, he does not particularly look at a person as a whole. If you rephrase the famous biblical wisdom - God gives talent equally to the righteous and the unrighteous.
We think it’s now clear that a protege is what it is. We move on.
Synonym
In fact, there are not so many words that would completely replace the “protege”. Definition immediately comes to mind for a person who used the monarch’s special location. Pessimistic readers probably understood: this word is “favorite”.
From the school bench, we remember that few of the teachers had no favorites or favorites. This word, no matter what form a person chooses, is also partially suitable for replacement. However, when it comes to school, it’s kind of embarrassing to talk about patronage. After all, when we think about patronage, powerful, often regal persons, but not a teacher of history or mathematics, immediately appear. However, do not underestimate the role of teachers in human life, perhaps the intervention of a Russian teacher will become the factor that will allow a person to get a gold medal, and the latter, in turn, will become the springboard due to which a person will make, perhaps, the most important leap in life.
If at work the boss promotes and places his people, then they say about this kind of “his own man” that he is a protege of such and such. This means that the word “henchman” can also be recognized as a replacement for “protégé” in a linguistic sense. Despite the fact that the concept of “protégé” has long existed in the Russian language, it still needs a synonym, because it still sounds “foreign”. Therefore, if the question arises in my head: “Can I choose a synonym for the word“ protege ”?” - the reader will have an answer to it. In certain situations and speech contexts, the words “favorite”, “favorite”, “henchman”, “ward” and others can be considered synonyms.
Is the role of the protege good or bad?
As with any question in the style of "either-or", this is difficult to answer unequivocally. If we talk about self-esteem, it’s good when a person succeeds in a career, and it is not so important by what means, after all, the protection must also be earned. One way or another, the protector draws the attention of himself, and here it doesn’t matter at all why it was the power of this world who noticed the “little man” and decided to make him equal to himself.
And if we talk about self-esteem, then frankly dragging one’s person harms both the object and the subject of this almost indecent action. True, we will not be so pessimistic, because we do not always get undeservedly in a protege, sometimes they help poets, artists, philosophers. And without connections it is impossible to make a full-fledged first step almost anywhere. Therefore, everything is relative. When they protest their relatives, regardless of their personal and professional qualities, this is disgusting, but it also happens that the patron has a talented relative, and in this case, why not? In other words, you cannot put an end to this issue, so let everyone decide for himself.
I just want to say one last thing, namely: people who created themselves do not exist in nature, someone still gave them a ticket to life, someone helped and pushed. A protege is the fate of almost all talented people with rare exceptions. True, they, as a rule, do not notice this, but this is a completely different story.