Tutelage means instruction, guidance, or protection provided by someone more experienced, especially a teacher or mentor. When a young violinist studies under the tutelage of a master musician, she learns from both formal lessons and from watching how an expert approaches the instrument. A chef training under the tutelage of a renowned master chef learns techniques that can't be found in cookbooks.

Tutelage involves someone experienced taking responsibility for developing someone else's abilities through close attention and care. A blacksmith's apprentice works under a blacksmith's tutelage, learning the craft through careful observation and practice. A young writer might develop her voice under the tutelage of an English teacher who really understands her potential.

You'll often see tutelage used when describing how someone became skilled at something: “She learned to navigate by the stars under the tutelage of experienced sailors” or “His talent for debate developed under the tutelage of the school's debate coach.” The word suggests a special relationship where knowledge, skill, and wisdom pass from one generation to the next.