DEFENSES

Noun

defenses

plural of defense

Source: Wiktionary


DEFENSE

De*fense", De*fence", n. Etym: [F. défense, OF. defense, fem., defens, masc., fr. L. defensa (cf. Fence.]

1. The act of defending, or the state of being defended; protection, as from violence or danger. In cases of defense 't is best to weigh The enemy more mighty than he seems. Shak.

2. That which defends or protects; anything employed to oppose attack, ward off violence or danger, or maintain security; a guard; a protection. War would arise in defense of the right. Tennyson. God, the widow's champion and defense. Shak.

3. Protecting plea; vindication; justification. Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defense. Acts xxii. 1.

4. (Law)

Definition: The defendant's answer or plea; an opposing or denial of the truth or validity of the plaintiff's or prosecutor's case; the method of proceeding adopted by the defendant to protect himself against the plaintiff's action.

5. Act or skill in making defense; defensive plan or policy; practice in self defense, as in fencing, boxing, etc. A man of great defense. Spenser. By how much defense is better than no skill. Shak.

6. Prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance. [Obs.] Severe defenses . . . against wearing any linen under a certain breadth. Sir W. Temple.

De*fense", v. t.

Definition: To furnish with defenses; to fortify. [Obs.] [Written also defence.] Better manned and more strongly defensed. Hales.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 June 2025

PEOPLE

(noun) members of a family line; “his people have been farmers for generations”; “are your people still alive?”


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Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

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