▪ I. defence, defense, n.
(dɪˈfɛns)
Forms: 3–6 defens, 3– defence, defense; (5 diffens, -ense, -ence, difence, 5–6 deffence, 6 deffens).
[Two forms: ME. defens, a. OF. defens (deffans, deffenz, desfens, -fans, etc.), Ph. de Thaun 1119, ad. L. dēfensum thing forbidden, defended, etc., n. use of pa. pple. of dēfendĕre (see defend); also ME. defense, a. OF. defense defence, prohibition, ad. L. dēfensa (Tertullian = defensio), f. pa. pple. dēfensus, analogous to ns. in -āta, -ade, -ée. In Eng. where e became early mute, and grammatical gender was lost, the two forms naturally ran together; app. the spelling defence comes from the defens form; cf. hennes, hens, hence; penis, pens, pence; ones, ons, once; sithens, since; Duns, dunce. The spelling defense is that now usual in the United States.
(The pop. Romanic forms were de-, diffēso, -fēsa, cf. It. difesa, OF. des-, def-, defeis, defois, Norman défais, and defeise, defoise.)]
The action of defending, in the various senses of the verb, q.v.
The order here followed is as in the verb, though this does not quite agree with the chronological data in hand.
I. The action of warding off, and of prohibiting. (Obs. or arch.)
† 1. a. The action of keeping off, or resisting the attack of (an enemy). Obs.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 4715 In defense of hor fos, þat on flete lay. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vi. cxcix. 206 For y⊇ defence of his enemyes. 1543–4 Act 35 Hen. VIII, c. 12 For the maintenaunce of his warres, inuasion and defence of his enemies. 1588 Ld. Burghley Let. to Sir F. Walsyngham 19 July, 5000 footmen and 1000 horsemen for defence of the enemy landing in Essex. |
† b. ? Offence. Obs.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 2692 What defense has þou done to our dere goddes? |
† 2. a. The action of forbidding; prohibition. Obs. (exc. as in b, c).
| a 1300 Ten Commandm. 15 in E.E.P. (1862) 16 Hou he ssold þe folke tech, and to ssow ham godis defens boþe to ȝung and to olde of þe .x. commandemens. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 11098 Þe sekesteyn, for alle þat defense, Ȝyt he ȝaue þe body ensense. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xviii. 193 Adam afterward aȝeines his defence, Frette of þat fruit. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 56 Eve..bethought her not aright of the defence that God had made to her husbonde and her. 1526 J. Hacket Let. in MS. Cott. Galba ix. 35 The Gowernour wyll macke a partyculer deffens and comandment..for the anychyllment and destruccion of thys nywe bokes. 1600 E. Blount tr. Conestaggio 94 The pope..wrote unto him by an other briefe, with defence not to proceede in the cause. a 1698 Temple (J.), Severe defences may be made against wearing any linen under a certain breadth. |
b. in defence: (of fish, or waters) prohibited from being taken, or fished in. defence-month = fence-month. (Cf. fence n. 7, 11.)
| 1607 Cowell Interpr. s.v. Fencemoneth, All waters where salmons be taken, shall be in defence..from the nativitie. 1736 W. Nelson Laws conc. Game 77 The Fence-Month, by the antient Foresters was called the Defence-Month, and is the Fawning Time. 1758 Descr. Thames 174 Salmon shall be in Defence, or not taken, from 8th September to St. Martin's Day. 1818 Hassell Rides & Walks II. 63 During the defence months, which are March, April, and May, at which time the fish..are spawning. 1887 Pall Mall G. 6 May 10/1 Streams which were ‘put in defence in the reign of his late Majesty King Henry II., and have been so maintained thereafter’. |
c. In the game of Ombre: see quot.
| 1878 H. H. Gibbs Ombre 32 If there be Defence, that is to say, if either of his adversaries undertake to forbid the Surrender. |
II. The action of guarding or protecting from attack.
3. a. Guarding or protecting from attack; resistance against attack; warding off of injury; protection. (The chief current sense.)
| 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 197 Wanne hii forsoke ys, and for slewþed, and to non defence ne come. c 1300 K. Alis. 2615 Alle that hadde power To beore weopene to defence. c 1325 Coer de L. 6840 Withe egyr knyghtes of defens. c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 1139 Ye archewyves, stondith at defens. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 214 With thritty thousand of defence. c 1400 Destr. Troy 9518 In deffence of þe folke. 1418 E.E. Wills (1882) 31 A Doubeled of defence couered with red Leþer. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lxvii. 230 His defence coude not auayle hym. 1548 Hall Chron. 57 He would rather dye in the defence than frely yeld the castle. a 1699 A. Halkett Autobiog. (1875) 53 [He] drew his sword in the deffence of the inocentt. 1709 Tatler No. 63 ¶2 His Sword, not to be drawn but in his own Defence. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian i, What are your weapons of defence? 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 123 They are to take measures for the defence of the country. |
† b. Faculty or capacity of defending. Obs.
| [c 1470 Henry Wallace viii. 803 The defendouris was off so fell defens.] 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 1078 The walles were of that defence that ordinaunce did litle harme. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, v. i. 64 The Citie being but of small defence. 1596 Spenser F.Q. v. ii. 5 A man of great defence. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 20 Pikes and Targets of great length and defence. 1654 Whitelocke Swed. Ambassy (1772) I. 203 A castle..neither large nor beautifull, or of much defence. |
c. In games: e.g. in Cricket, the guarding of the wicket by the batsman. Opposed to attack. Also, the batting strength or batsmen collectively.
| 1828 G. T. Knight in Sporting Mag. Mar. 338/2 The object is not to bring the batting down to the bowling..not to diminish the means of defence, but to add to the powers of attack. 1830 M. R. Mitford Our Village IV. 29 His hits were weak, his defence insecure. 1851 J. Pycroft Cricket Field x. 203 Many a man..whose talent lies in defence, tries hitting. 1863 Baily's Mag. Sports & Past. Sept. 44 The bowling..the wicket-keeping,..and the fine defence shown..was all cricket in perfection. 1875 J. D. Heath Croquet Player 43 Upon the introduction of the heavy mallet..it was found that the ‘attack’ was a great deal too strong for the ‘defence’. 1883 Daily Tel. 15 May 2/7 Peate [bowler] got past his defence. 1901 R. H. Lyttelton Out-door Games iv. 81 Any reform of cricket law has for its object a levelling up of attack and defence—in other words, of batting and bowling. |
d. line of defence (Mil.): (a) a line or series of fortified points at which an enemy is resisted; (b) Fortif. a line drawn from the curtain to the salient angle of the bastion, representing the course of a ball fired from the curtain to defend the face of the bastion.
| 1645 N. Stone Enchirid. Fortif. 18 And that shall cut off the flanke at F, and bring the line of defence in towards the middle of the Curtain. 1802–3 tr. Pallas' Trav. (1812) II. 7 The reader will find a distinct view..of the gate and line of defence drawn from the side opposite to the Crimea. 1821 Examiner 216/1 Compelled to fall back to Capua, a strong point in the second line of defence. 1853 Stocqueler Milit. Encycl., Line of Defence..is either fichant or razant. The first is, when it is drawn from the angle; the last, when it is drawn from a point in the curtain, ranging the face of the bastion in fortification. |
e. Psychol. Behaviour which seeks to protect an organism from a real or apparent danger, esp. behaviour which seeks to resist the exposure of a neurosis. Also attrib., as defence mechanism, a type of mental process, usually unconscious, that allows the ego or conscious mind to avoid conflict or anxiety, e.g., by compensation, projection, or repression; also transf.
| 1909 A. A. Brill tr. Freud's Sel. Papers on Hysteria (1912) iii. 51 The ideas of the ‘defense’ (abwehr) against an unbearable presentation, the origin of hysterical symptoms through conversion of psychic into physical excitement, the formation of a separate psychic group by an arbitrary act, leading to the defense—all these were..presented before my eyes. Ibid. 61 The assumption of a defense hysteria (abwehr hysterie) includes the requisite that at least one such moment has already occurred. 1913 Amer. Jrnl. Insanity 569 The psychosexual anaesthesia is nothing but a defense mechanism. 1917 D. Hecht in C. E. Long tr. Jung's Analytical Psychology (ed. 2) xiv. 424 By these means she remains at an infantile homosexual stage, which serves her as a defence. 1920 C. S. Myers Mind & Work vi. 167 The true causes of one's emotional conduct are replaced by reasons which are invented subconsciously..Such ‘defence mechanisms’, as they have been called, may come into play in any insoluble emotional situation. 1935 Essays & Studies XX. 131 Teachers, afraid of literature{ddd}put up a defence-mechanism of literariness. 1941 Times Lit. Suppl. 2 Aug. 372/2 The faith of modern Germany is, in psychological language, a ‘defence’ against reasoning. 1942 A. Christie Body in Library xiii. 115 The breaking of a piece of bad news nearly always sets up a defence reaction. It numbs the recipient. 1946 H. Nicolson Eng. Sense of Humour 49 Freud was not alone in defining the sense of humour as a defence mechanism having as its main function the protection of the self against discomfort. |
f. defence in depth, a system of defence comprising successive areas of resistance or mutually supporting fortifications.
| 1941 Ann. Reg. 1940 55 An elaborate system of ‘defence in depth’ was also formed all round the east and south coasts. 1949 Koestler Promise & Fulfilment ii. ii. 205 Finally, the tiny area of Israel..gave them no opportunity for defence in depth. |
4. The practice, art, or ‘science’ of defending oneself (with weapons or the fists); self-defence; fencing or boxing.
| 1602 Shakes. Ham. iv. vii. 98 Hee..gaue you such a Masterly report, For Art and exercise in your defence; And for your Rapier most especially. 1639 tr. Camus' Moral Relat. 148 An excellent Master of defence, with whom no man will fight..for feare of his dexterity. 1684 R. H. School Recreat. 56 The Noble Science of Defence. 1711 Lond. Gaz. No. 4886/4 Has fought several Prizes, setting up for Master of Defence. 1828 Scott Tales Grandf. Ser. ii. I. ii. 63 Fencing with a man called Turner, a teacher of the science of defence. |
5. a. Something that defends; a means of resisting or warding off attack; spec. (pl.) fortifications, fortified works. Also, a defending force.
| c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 55 (MS. B), Leye a defens [MS. A defensif] aboute þe wounde. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 5 b, Whiche..is our sauegarde and defence. 1548 Hall Chron. 123 The duke strake the kyng on the brow right under the defence of y⊇ hedpece. 1600 E. Blount tr. Conestaggio 316 The galleies..often discharged all their artillerie against the defences. 1611 Bible Ps. xciv. 22 The Lord is my defence. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. 457/2 Baskets filled with earth, are good defence in tymes of warr and hostility. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. I. 62 Mountains are necessary..as a defence against the violence of heat, in the warm latitudes. 1853 Sir H. Douglas Milit. Bridges (ed. 3) 208 The defences of the Austrians on the right bank were strengthened by numerous batteries. 1916 ‘Boyd Cable’ Action Front 27 The defence, demoralised by that tornado of explosion, was pushed a good fifty yards further back. |
b. Her. (See quot.)
| 1727–51 Chambers Cycl., Defences, are the weapons of any beast; as, the horns of a stag, the tusks of a wild boar, etc. |
c. The military resources of a country. Freq. attrib.
| 1935 C. R. Attlee in Hansard Commons 5th Ser. CCCII. 378 We talk about the co-ordination of defence; the co-ordination of the peace forces of the world is quite as important..as the co-ordination of the different services of this country. Ibid. 382, I am glad to hear that the Government are thinking of the question of having a Defence Minister. 1937 Ann. Reg. 1936 i. 16 The Prime Minister still desired to keep the chief authority in defence matters in his own hands. Ibid. 17 The official title of the new Minister would be ‘Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence’. 1937 F. P. Crozier Men I Killed i. 20 These are the men who are planning ‘Defence’ at the risk of peace. Ibid. 21 To be accused of being anxious to avoid the wholesale slaughter of countless thousands..despite our {pstlg}1,500,000,000 Defence Bill! 1966 Listener 6 Jan. 13/2 The diversion of money and productive resources to defence. Ibid., Certain parts of industry have turned from civilian to defence production. |
6. a. The defending, supporting, or maintaining by argument; justification, vindication.
| 1382 Wyclif Phil. i. 16 Witinge for I am putt in the defence of the gospel. 1563 Winȝet Four Scoir Thre Quest. Wks. 1888 I. 69 Corroboring our iugement with sufficient defensis. 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 10, I never yit tooke vppon me the defenc of ani quæstion. 1653 Gauden (title), Defence of the Ministry and Ministers of the Church of England. 1732 Law Serious C. xviii. (ed. 2) 333 In defense of this method of education. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 212 Nor is it possible to urge in defence of this act of James those pleas by which many arbitrary acts of the Stuarts have been vindicated or excused. |
b. A speech or argument in self-vindication.
| 1557 N. T. (Genev.) Acts xxii. 1 Ye men, brethren and fathers, heare my defence which I now make vnto you. 1611 Bible Acts xix. 33 And Alexander beckened with the hand, and would haue made his defence vnto the people. 1672 Marvell Reh. Transp. i. 82 Mr. Bayes his Defence was but the blew-John of his Ecclesiastical Policy. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) IV. 241 Socrates prefaces his defence by resuming the attack. |
† 7. without defence: without remedy or help; unavoidably, inevitably. Obs.
| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 279 (Fairf. MS.), I hadde ben dede withouten any defence For drede of loves wordes. c 1430 Hymns Virg. (1867) 66 Glotenie coostiþ wiþouten diffence Boþe in diuerse drinkis and meete. |
III. Law. [Originally allied to sense 1, but now influenced by senses 3, 6: see defend v. 6.]
8. The opposing or denial by the accused party of the truth or validity of the complaint made against him; the defendant's (written) pleading in answer to the plaintiff's statement of claim; the proceedings taken by an accused party or his legal agents, for defending himself.
| 1595 Termes of Lawes 57 b, Defence is that which the defendant ought to make immediately after the count or declaration made, that is to say, that he defendeth all the wrong, force, and dammage, where and when he ought, and then to proceede farther to his plee, or to imparle. 1632 High Commission Cases (Camden) 314 The defence is that the same was printed before he was borne, and he hath but renewed it, and is very sorry for it. 1768 Blackstone Comm. iii. xx. III. 296–7 Defence, in it's true legal sense, signifies not a justification, protection, or guard, which is now it's popular signification; but merely an opposing or denial (from the French verb defender) of the truth or validity of the complaint. 1769 Goldsm. Roman Hist. (1786) I. 63 Brutus..demanded..if they could make any defence to the crimes with which they had been charged. 1817 W. Selwyn Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 1001 Malicious Prosecution. The usual defence to this action is, that the defendant had reasonable or probable grounds of suspicion against the plaintiff. Mod. Newspr. The examination of the witnesses for the defence. The prisoner refused counsel, and conducted his own defence. |
IV. 9. attrib., as defence area; defence bond, a bond (bond n.1 10) issued by a government borrowing money for military defence (cf. sense 5 c above); also defence loan bond; defenceman, defenseman N. Amer., in ice-hockey and lacrosse, a player in a defence position.
| 1940 Economist 6 July 10/2 The declaration of certain parts of the country to be *defence areas in which movements of all persons are controlled—to be distinguished from protected areas where the restrictions apply to aliens only. |
| 1941 Ann. Reg. 1940 46 The sale of..*Defence Bonds..was going on apace. 1947 News of World 26 Jan. 1/2 A conversion offer is shortly to be made of holders of three per cent. Defence Bonds purchased between May 1 and Oct. 31 1940, which mature this year. |
| 1940 Ann. Reg. 1939 118 The Government..issued..*defence loan bonds..bearing interest at 3½ per cent. |
| 1895 Athletic Life Feb. 78/1 You will generally find it easiest to skate past a *defence man if such tactics are necessary, by tiling straight at him and at the critical moment severing [sic] to his right hand side. 1940 T. Stanwick Lacrosse v. 41 Defense men who must play near the center stripe..should place themselves several yards behind their respective attack men. 1963 J. N. Harris Weird World Wes Beattie (1964) iii. 25 Rick Phelan was a hockey player... He was, in fact, the greatest prospective defenseman to come down the pike since the late Bill Barilko. 1966 Evans & Anderson Lacrosse Fundamentals iv. 142 The defense man must not reach so far forward that he is off balance. 1970 Toronto Daily Star 24 Sept. 16/7 Brad Selwood, rookie Leaf defenceman, was sidelined after stopping a shot with his right hand in the second period. |
Sense 3 f in Dict. becomes 3 g. Add: [II.] [3.] [c.] (b) Chess. A move or series of moves played with the object of countering an opponent's attack; play of this nature; also, any opening or opening variation initiated by Black, many of which are distinguished by special names, as French (Sicilian, etc.) defence.
| 1614 A. Saul Chesse-Play xix. sig. D3v (heading) The first way to make a defence for the hard play before mentioned. 1750 ‘A. D. Philidor’ Chess Analysed 87 In the Defence, one is often forced to play against the general Rules. 1764 R. Lambe Hist. Chess 120 The Queen's Gambit..produces many different games... This here is supposed to be its true defence. 1822 J. Cochrane Treat. Chess 253 The principal error of the player of the defence consists in playing, at his fifth move, the queen's knight to king's fourth square. 1849 Chess Player's Chron. IX. 279 The Superlatively Close Defence. We have so named a defence which we find in Bilguer's Treatise. 1875 G. H. D. Gossip Chess-Player's Manual iv. xxx. 799 We are of opinion that the Sicilian defence is not so bad as it has been represented. 1935 Chess 14 Nov. 103/1 Nimzo–Indian Defence... White simply sought to combat and not to refute the Nimzo–Indian variation. 1983 W. Tevis Queen's Gambit viii. 123 It started out as a routine Queen's Gambit Accepted... But as they got into the midgame it became more complex than usual, and she realized that he was playing a very sophisticated defense. |
f. Sport (esp. Boxing). An attempt by a reigning champion to retain a title in competition. orig. U.S.
| [1935 Ring Feb. 4/2 [Baer] will smother any opposition he may be asked to face in defense of his crown this year.] 1940 Detroit News 4 Feb. (Sports section) 3/1 He'll probably defend next against Johnny Paychek..on April 5. The two other defenses will be June and September. 1953 Ring Feb. 5/2 In his second title defense of the year he was knocked out by Rocky Marciano. 1965 Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) 25 May 20/1 Clay will make his first defense against the elderly ‘Bear’. 1976 Facts on File 12 June 424/3 Muhammad Ali, weighing in at 220 for a defense of his world heavyweight boxing title. 1987 Los Angeles Times 29 May iii. 7/2 Mike Tyson will defend his heavyweight boxing title in Japan next year if he's successful in title defenses in the United States. |
▪ II. † defence, defense, v. Obs.
[f. defence n.; perh. in part a. OF. defenser, deffencer, ad. L. dēfensāre, freq. of dēfendĕre to defend.]
trans. To provide with a defence or defences; to defend, protect, guard. (lit. and fig.)
| c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 82 Þis defensiþ [v.r. defendiþ] a membre fro corrupcioun. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 115 Defensyn, defenso, munio. 1460 J. Capgrave Chron. 184 [How] this lond schulde be defensed ageyn the cruelte of Scottis. 1559 Morwyng Evonym. 307 A bely of glasse diligently defenced with clay. 1570–6 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 155 For the defensing of this Realme against forreine invasion. 1587 Turberv. Trag. T. (1837) 260 Out he gate, defenst with darke of night. 1629 Shirley Wedding ii. ii, Wert thou defenced with circular fire..yet I should Neglect the danger. 1637 Heywood Lond. Mirrour Wks. 1874 IV. 313 This Fort..is stil'd Imperiall, defenc'd with men and officers. 1791 [see defenced]. |