English
defence
Defence comes from Old French defens, from Late Latin dēfēnsa ‘protection’, from Latin dēfendō, from dē- + *fendō ‘to strike’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- ‘to kill’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰen-‘to strike, kill’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fendō‘to strike’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsame form‘to hit, thrust’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēfendō‘to defend’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdēfēnsa‘protection’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400defens
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1599defence
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰen-‘to strike, kill’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fendō‘to strike’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsame form‘to hit, thrust’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēfendō‘to defend’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdēfēnsa‘protection’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400defens
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1599defence
Earliest quotation: 1599, William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fift: “In cases of defence ’tis best to weigh The…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
do, fact, hot, deal, fair, fan, fashion, mid, feature, theme, custom, benefit, ethnic, treasury, treasure, sufficient, ethical, thesis, aesthetic, synthetic, theology, doom, tick, dis, feast, atheist, ethic, auditorium, deed, auditor, atheism, thematic, ethos, fanatic, familial, medial, forfeit, demi, medallion, spade, 130 more
through Latin *fendō ‘to hit’
offensive, offense, offend, 8 more
through Latin dēfendō ‘to defend’
Today it means
noun The action of defending, of protecting from attack, danger or injury.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- / defence