defend

Meaning

1. To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.
2. To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.
3. To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).
4. To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
5. To attempt to retain a title, or attempt to reach the same stage in a competition as one did in the previous instance of that competition.
6. (slang) To call a raise from the big blind.
7. (obsolete) To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).
8. (obsolete) To prevent, to keep (from doing something).
9. (obsolete) To prohibit, forbid.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɪˈfɛnd/

Etymology

From Middle English defenden, from Old French defendre, deffendre (Modern French défendre), from Latin dēfendō (“to ward off”), from Proto-Italic *fendō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen-. Displaced native Old English bewerian.