King James Bible Dictionary

DEFEND, verb transitive

1. To drive from; to thrust back; hence, to deny; to repel a demand, charge, or accusation; to oppose; to resist; the effect of which is to maintain ones own claims.

2. To forbid; to prohibit; that is, to drive from, or back. Milton calls the forbidden fruit, the defended fruit.

The use of wine in some places is defended by customs or laws.

3. To drive back a foe or danger; to repel from any thing that which assails or annoys; to protect by opposition or resistance; to support or maintain; to prevent from being injured, or destroyed.

There arose, to defend Israel, Tola the son of Puah. Judges 10:1.

4. To vindicate; to assert; to uphold; to maintain uninjured, by force or by argument; as, to defend our cause; to defend rights and privileges; to defend reputation.

5. To secure against attacks or evil; to fortify against danger or violence; to set obstacles to the approach of any thing that can annoy. A garden may be defended by a wall, a hill or a river.

DEFEND, verb intransitive To make opposition; as, the party comes into court, defends and says.

DEFENDABLE, adjective That may be defended.

DEFENDANT, adjective

1. Defensive; proper for defense.

2. Making defense; being in the character of a defendant

DEFENDANT, noun

1. He that defends against an assailant, or against the approach of evil or danger.

2. In law, the party that opposes a complaint, demand or charge; he that is summoned into court, and defends, denies or opposes the demand or charge, and maintains his own right. It is applied to any party of whom a demand is made in court, whether the party denies and defends, or admits the claim and suffers a default.

DEFENDED, participle passive Opposed; denied; prohibited; maintained by resistance; vindicated; preserved uninjured; secured.

DEFENDER, noun One who defends by oppostition; one who maintains, supports, protects or vindicates; an assertor; a vindicator, either by arms or by arguments; a champion or an advocate.

DEFENDING, participle present tense Denying; opposing; resisiting; forbidding; maintaining uninjured by force or by reason; securing from evil.