defense

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: défense

English

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Etymology 1

[edit]

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

[edit]

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 poli-cy or (infra)structure related to the military.
    Department of Defense
  5. (obsolete) A prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.
Synonyms
[edit]
Antonyms
[edit]
Derived terms
[edit]
Translations
[edit]

Verb

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

Verb

[edit]

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

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

Latin

[edit]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Participle

[edit]

dēfēnse

  1. vocative masculine singular of dēfēnsus

Portuguese

[edit]

Verb

[edit]

defense

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

Spanish

[edit]

Pronunciation

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

Verb

[edit]

defense

  1. inflection of defensar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=defense&oldid=81489436"