defend

Where does the word "defend" come from? It comes from Latin defendere, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Defend’s story begins in Latin: defendere meant “to ward off.” 'de-', away, plus '-fendere', to strike. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as defendre. 'fence' is a shortened form of 'defence'. It reached English by 1200s as defend. Sports sense came in the 1800s. Today, defend means to protect from harm.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient defendere "to ward off", 'de-', away, plus '-fendere', to strike.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval defendre "to protect", 'fence' is a shortened form of 'defence'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s defend "to protect", sports sense came in the 1800s.