Wiktionary

defense

See also: défense

English

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English defens, defense, from Old French defens, defense, from Late Latin dēfēnsa (“protection”). Displaced native Old English bewering. The verb is from the noun.[1]

Noun

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defense (countable and uncountable, plural defenses) (American spelling)

  1. The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.
  2. Anything employed to oppose attack(s).
    1. (team sports) A strategy and tactics employed to prevent the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.
    2. (team sports) The portion of a team dedicated to preventing the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.
  3. An argument in support or justification of something.
    to come to someone's defense
    1. (law, by extension) The case presented by the defendant in a legal proceeding.
    2. (law, by extension) The lawyer or team thereof who presents such a case.
  4. (government, military, euphemistic) Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military.
    Department of Defense
  5. (obsolete) A prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.
Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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defense (third-person singular simple present defenses, present participle defensing, simple past and past participle defensed)

  1. (sports, chiefly US)[1] To employ defensive tactics (so as to block). [from 1932][1]
    • 1972, Robert Cimbollek, Basketball’s Percentage Offense, West Nyack, N.Y.: Parker Publishing Company, Inc., →ISBN, page 114:
      In fact, there is an increase in the effectiveness of the Five Cutter Offense when teams put pressure on, instead of sagging or switching in an attempt to defense the attack successfully.
    • 2013 November 16, Brett Marshall, “The Garden City Telegram, Kan., Brett Marshall column”, in McClatchy - Tribune Business News, Tribune Content Agency:
      But the Buffs’ coaching staff made some adjustments in the way they defensed the Heights’ vaunted veer-option offense, and after being bullied around for 271 yards in the first half, yielded only 140 in the second half.
    • 2014 November 28, Associated Press, “Vols beat Santa Clara, face Kansas”, in The Tennessean, page 2:
      “It was most important to start the second half right,” Tennessee coach Donnie Tyndall said. “They dug in and defensed the right way.”

Etymology 2

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From Middle English defencen, defensen, from Old French defenser[2] or its etymon, Latin dēfēnsō.[1]

Verb

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defense (third-person singular simple present defenses, present participle defensing, simple past and past participle defensed)

  1. (now rare)[1] To furnish with defenses; to defend, protect.
    • 1544, Iames the Erle of Purlilia [i.e., Jacopo di Porcia], translated by Peter Betham, “What is to be done in yͤ syege of bygge cities”, in The Preceptes of Warre, […], London: [...] Edwarde Whytchurche. […] to be solde [...] by William Telotson:
      In the ſyege of greate cities, takyng a bygge compaſſe rounde abowte, we muſt wyth all laboure: make and intercut not farre of the citie, bꝛode and depe trenches defenſed wyth turrettes of woodde, [...]
    • 1587, George Turberuile, “The Argument to the tenth Historie”, in Tragicall Tales […], London: [...] Abell Ieffs, […], folio 130, verso:
      VVhere being plaſt, vnvviſt of any vvight, / He ſtayde his time, till husband fel on ſleepe, / Then out he gate, defenſt vvith darke of night, / And ſoftly to Salueſtras bed did creepe: [...]
    • 1661, Percie Enderbie, Cambria Triumphans, or Brittain in Its Perfect Lustre, Shewing the Origen and Antiquity of That Illustrious Nation. […], London: [...] Andrew Crooke, […], page 21:
      The Country of Britain was in old times adorned with 28 Cities, beſide innumerable number of Caſtles defenſed with ſtrong Walls, Towers, Gates and Locks.

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 “defence | defense, v.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  2. ^ “dēfensen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Latin

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Pronunciation

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Participle

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dēfēnse

  1. vocative masculine singular of dēfēnsus

Portuguese

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Verb

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defense

  1. inflection of defensar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /deˈfense/ [d̪eˈfẽn.se]
  • Rhymes: -ense
  • Syllabification: de‧fen‧se

Verb

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defense

  1. inflection of defensar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative
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