Lewis & Short

tūtēla, ae, f. [1. tutor], a watching, keeping, charge, care, safeguard, defence, protection (syn.: praesidium, cura).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: tutelam januae gerere, Plaut. Truc. 2, 1, 43: foribus tutelam gerere, id. Trin. 4, 2, 28: viae, Dig. 31, 1, 30: suo tergo tutelam gerere, Plaut. Trin. 4, 3, 51: nunc de septis, quae tutandi causā fundi fiant dicam. Earum tutelarum genera quattuor, etc., Varr. R. R. 1, 14, 1: pecudum silvestrium, care, management, Col. 9, praef. § 1: boum, id. 6, 2, 15: aselli, id. 7, 1, 2: tenuiorum, support, maintenance, Suet. Caes. 68: lanae tutelam praestant contra frigora, Plin. 29, 2, 9, § 30: ut villarum tutela non sit oneri, id. 18, 5, 6, § 31; 35, 3, 4, § 14: classis, Just. 16, 3, 9: cum de hominis summo bono quaererent, nullam in eo neque animi neque corporis partem vacuam tutela reliquerunt, Cic. Fin. 4, 14, 36: tutela ac praesidium bellicae virtutis, id. Mur. 10, 22: Apollo, cujus in tutelā Athenas antiqui historici esse voluerunt, id. N. D. 3, 22, 55; cf.: quare sit in ejus tutela Gallia, cujus, etc., id. Prov. Cons. 14, 35: intellegi volumus salutem hominum in ejus (Jovis) esse tutela, id. Fin. 3, 20, 66: Juno, cujus in tutelā Argi sunt, Liv. 34, 24, 2; Plin. 28, 2, 4, § 18: subicere aliquid tutelae alicujus, Cic. Fin. 4, 14, 38: filios suos parvos tutelae populi commendare, id. de Or. 1, 53, 228: dii, quorum tutelae ea loca essent, Liv. 1, 6, 4: quae suae fidei tutelaeque essent, id. 24, 22, 15: publicae tutelae esse, id. 42, 19, 5; 21, 41, 12: te Jovis impio Tutela Saturno Eripuit, Hor. C. 2, 17, 23: ut dicar tutelā pulsa Minervae, Ov. M. 2, 563: dique deaeque omnes, quibus est tutela per agros, Prop. 3, 13 (4, 12), 41: ut te generi humano, cujus tutela et securitas saluti tuae innisa est, incolumem praestarent, Plin. Ep. 10, 52 (60).
      With gen. obj.: loci, protection, Just. 41, 5, 3.
    2. B. In partic., jurid. t. t., the office of a guardian, guardianship, wardship, tutelage of minors, insane persons, etc.: tutela est, ut Servius definit, vis ac potestas in capite libero ad tuendum eum, qui propter aetatem suā sponte se defendere nequit, jure civili data ac permissa, Dig. 26, 1 (De tutelis), 1: tradere aliquem in tutelam alicujus, Pac. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 46, 193: in suam tutelam venire, to become one’s own master, come of age, Cic. de Or. 1, 39, 180; Dig. 37, 11, 8, § 1; Cic. Top. 10, 44; id. Brut. 52, 195; 53, 197; id. Inv. 2, 21, 62; Gai. 2, 179; Nep. Eum. 2, 1; rarely in the order, in tutelam suam venire, Cic. Inv. 2, 42, 122: tutelae suae fieri, Sen. Ep. 33, 10: fraudare pupillum, qui in tutelam pervenit, Cic. Rosc. Com. 6, 16: alicujus tutelam accipere, Varr. R. R. 3, 2, 17: ad sanos abeat tutela propinquos, Hor. S. 2, 3, 218: rei publicae, Cic. Off. 1, 25, 85: tutelam filiorum servo committere, Just. 4, 2, 5: tutelam pupilli suscipere, id. 30, 2, 8: gerere, Val. Max. 6, 6, 1: nancisci, to become guardian, Just. Inst. 1, 12, 6: administrare, Dig. 26, 7, 3, § 2: reddere, ib. 5, 1, 2, § 3.
  2. II. Transf., concr.
    1. A. Act., like our watch, of that which guards or protects, a keeper, warder, guardian, protector (mostly poet.): (Philemon et Baucis) templi tutela fuere, Ov. M. 8, 711: prorae tutela Melanthus, i. e. the pilot at the prow, = proreta, id. ib. 3, 617: o tutela praesens Italiae (Augustus), Hor. C. 4, 14, 43: (Achilles) decus et tutela Pelasgi Nominis, Ov. M. 12, 612: rerum tutela mearum Cum sis (shortly before: curator a praetore datus), Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 103.
      Of the image of the tutelar deity of a ship: navis, cujus tutela ebore caelata est, etc., Sen. Ep. 76, 13; Lact. 1, 11, 19; cf. Sil. 14, 543; Petr. 105 and 108.
      Of the tutelar deity of a place, Petr. 57; Auct. Priap. 37; Hier. in Isa. 57, 7; Inscr. Orell. 1698 sq.; 1736.
      1. 2. A remedy against, cure: si qua est tutela podagrae, Grat. Cyn. 478.
    2. B. Pass., of that which is guarded or protected, a charge, care.
      1. 1. In gen. (poet.): virginum primae puerique claris Patribus orti, Deliae tutela deae, Hor. C. 4, 6, 33: Lanuvium annosi vetus est tutela draconis, Prop. 4 (5), 8, 3: sit, precor, tutela Minervae Navis, Ov. Tr. 1, 10, 1 sq.
      2. 2. In partic., in jurid. lang., that which is under guardianship or tutelage: in officiis apud majores ita observatum est: primum tutelae, deinde hospiti, deinde clienti, tum cognato, postea affini, a ward, Massur. ap. Gell. 5, 13, 5.
        Of the property of a ward: mirabamur, te ignorare, de tutelā legitimā … nihil usucapi posse, Cic. Att. 1, 5, 6: nihil potest de tutelā legitimā sine omnium tutorum auctoritate deminui, id. Fl. 34, 84; Dig. 26, 7, 5.