jealous

Hi, everybody,

We are probably familiar with the pattern of "be jealous of", and I know

most of the time, we use "be jealous of somebody or something". But

how can we justify for the usage in the following sentence where

"to" is right behind "jealous"?

But after independence, leaders jealous to protect their power shut them

out of politics, a situation repeated across the continent.

* them refers to the Kenyan women.


Thanks a lot in advance.

You might find the definition of "jealousy" helpful:

http://www.wordreference.com/definition/jealousy

Jealous has a secondary meaning, seen far less frequently than the primary one, which is to be unhappy or angry because somebody else has, or may be, taking or in possession of something one values. That second meaning is to be exceedingly careful, usually to protect a person or thing.

This usage, jealous to + verb, is uncommon in AE (American English), but it is correct.