Underprotect

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To give less protection than is necessary or adequate to guard against harm or damage
2. To fail to shield someone or something properly, leaving them vulnerable
3. To offer inadequate defense or security, resulting in increased risk of injury or loss

Etymology: "Underprotect" is a plain compound: the prefix "under-", meaning insufficiently or too little, attached to "protect". "Protect" itself comes from the Latin "protegere", "to cover in front", built from "pro-" (forward or before) and "tegere" (to cover). So the verb keeps the sense of shielding something by placing a covering over it, and "under-" simply reduces that shielding to less than enough. The pattern is productive in English. "Under-" combines with many verbs to mean doing something to too small a degree, as in "underestimate", "undercook" and "underfund", and "underprotect" follows the same model. Its meaning is therefore transparent: to guard something less thoroughly than it needs.

Synonyms: neglect, expose, leave unprotected, fail to shield

Antonyms: protect, shield, defend, safeguard, secure