fending
present participle of fend
Source: Wiktionary
Fend, n.
Definition: A fiend. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Fend, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fended; p. pr. & vb. n. Fending.] Etym: [Abbrev. fr. defend.]
Definition: To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward off; to shut out; -- often with off; as, to fend off blows. With fern beneath to fend the bitter cold. Dryden. To fend off a boat or vessel (Naut.), to prevent its running against anything with too much violence.
Fend, v. i.
Definition: To act on the defensive, or in opposition; to resist; to parry; to shift off. The dexterous management of terms, and being able to fend . . . with them, passes for a great part of learning. Locke.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
30 May 2025
(noun) (sports) a return made with the palm of the hand facing the direction of the stroke (as in tennis or badminton or squash)
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.
