fend

Meaning

Verb

1. (intransitive) To take care of oneself; to take responsibility for one's own well-being.
2. (rare) To defend, to take care of (typically construed with for); to block or push away (typically construed with off).

Noun

Self-support; taking care of one's own well-being.

Noun

An enemy; fiend; the Devil.

Synonyms

ward off

parry

stave off

get through

resist

turn away

drive back

fend off

avert

repel

stand

defend oneself

deflect

dismiss

dissociate

fight off

forfend

get along

get over

grapple

keep

make it

manage

oust

outride

overcome

pass up

preclude

prevent

push back

rebuff

refuse

reject

remove

repress

repudiate

repulse

retreat

scorn

shield

🛡️

spurn

surmount

take off

ride out

turn down

freeze off

acquit

forefend

alienate

bear up

Translations

badare

απομακραίνω

προφυλάσσω

defenderse

abwehren

resistir

uzaklaştırmak

résister

difendere

schermare

صن

pareren

terugslaan

verdrijven

wegjagen

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fɛnd/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: fenden

Inherited from Middle English: fend

Inherited from Old English: fēond

In summary

From Middle English fenden (“defend, fight, prevent”), shortening of defenden (“defend”), from Old French deffendre (Modern French défendre), from Latin dēfendō (“to ward off”), from dē- + *fendō (“hit, thrust”), from Proto-Italic *fendō, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- (“strike, kill”).