defy

Meaning

Verb

1. To challenge (someone) or brave (a hazard or opposition).
2. To refuse to obey.
3. To not conform to or follow a pattern, set of rules or expectations.
4. (obsolete) To renounce or dissolve all bonds of affiance, faith, or obligation with; to reject, refuse, or renounce.

Noun

A challenge.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɪˈfaɪ/

Etymology

From Old French desfier, from Vulgar Latin *disfidare (“renounce one's faith”), from Latin dis- (“away”) + fidus (“faithful”). Meaning shifted in the 14th century from "be disloyal" to "challenge". Contrast confide, fidelity, faith.