tutelary

tutelary \TOO-tuh-lair-ee; TYOO-\, adjective:

Having the guardianship or charge of protecting a person or a thing; guardian; protecting; as, "tutelary goddesses."

For the first time in history, a republic welcomed, perhaps even required, the release of the individual from tutelary powers, and in particular from religious authority.
-- Diana Schaub, "On the Character of Generation X", Public Interest, Fall 1999

God is perceived less as a savior that cleanses one's sins than as a tutelary god who provides guidance and help.
-- Kwai Hang Ng, "Seeking the Christian tutelage", Sociology of Religion, Summer 2002

The archetypal demon of Japanese folklore had always had two faces, being not only a destructive presence but also a potentially protective and tutelary being.
-- John W. Dower, War Without Mercy

In its twentieth-century incarnation, then, Western imperialism assumed a tutelary capacity: its benevolent mission was to teach formerly subject peoples the Western art of self-government.
-- Charlotte Weber, "Unveiling Scheherazade", Feminist Studies, Spring 2001

Tutelary derives from Latin tutelaris, from tutela, protection, guardianship, from tutus, past participle of tueri, to look at, to regard, especially to look at with care or for the purpose of protection. It is related to tutor, to have the guardianship or care of; to teach; to instruct.