defender

• defendor, defendour (obsolete)

From Anglo-Norman defendour, from Old French defendeor

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɛndə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -ɛndə(ɹ)

defender (plural defenders)

1. someone who defends people or property
2. (sports) one of the players whose primary task is to prevent the opposition from scoring
3. a fighter who seeks to repel an attack
4. (law, rare) a lawyer who represents defendants, especially a public defender; a defense attorney (US) or defence counsel (UK)
   • 1822, Thomas Bayly Howell, A Complete Collection of State Trials and Proceedings for High Treason and Other Crimes and Misdemeanors from the Earliest Period to the Year 1783, page 729:

     There was another protection to which she was intitled by that law, namely, a defender; but she had none.

   • 2007, Barry Krisberg, ‎Susan Marchionna, ‎& Christopher Baird, Continuing the Struggle for Justice, →ISBN, page 248:

     So, what is contemplated under this model is that the defender would work with civil legal services lawyers to address the clients' needs.

   • 2010, Henry L. Hecht, Effective Depositions, →ISBN, page 243:

     It puts you at the head of the table, at a right angle to the witness; the court reporter sits to your right, and the defender sits on the witness's far side.

5. (Scotland, law) a defendant in a civil action

• fendered, redefend

defender

1. to defend

From Latin dēfendō, dēfendere.

defender (Latin spelling)

1. to prohibit

From Old Portuguese defender, from Latin dēfendere, present active infinitive of dēfendō.

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /dɨ.fẽ.ˈdeɾ/

defender (first-person singular present indicative defendo, past participle defendido)

1. to defend (repel an attack)

   Synonyms: defensar (archaic), proteger

2. to defend (represent as a legal professional)
3. (rhetoric) to defend
4. to support (to back a cause, party etc.)

   Synonym: ser a favor de

5. (sports) to defend (to prevent the opponent from scoring)
6. (sports, intransitive) to play in defense
7. (higher education) to formally present a dissertation, thesis or project
8. first-person singular (eu) personal infinitive of defender
9. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) personal infinitive of defender
10. first-person singular (eu) future subjunctive of defender
11. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) future subjunctive of defender

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:defender.

From Latin dēfendere, present active infinitive of dēfendō.

• IPA^(key): /defenˈdeɾ/, [d̪efẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ]

defender (first-person singular present defiendo, first-person singular preterite defendí, past participle defendido)

1. to defend (contra (“against”), de (“from”))
2. to prohibit
3. to claim

• Rule: e becomes ie in stressed syllables.

• proteger
• prohibir