English
defense
Defense comes from Middle English defens, from Old French defens, from Late Latin dēfēnsa ‘protection’, from dēfendō ‘to defend’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēfendō‘to defend’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdēfēnsa‘protection’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400defens
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1972defense
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēfendō‘to defend’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdēfēnsa‘protection’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400defens
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1972defense
Earliest quotation: 1972, Robert Cimbollek, Basketball’s Percentage Offense: “In fact, there is an increase in the effectiveness…”
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’
through Old French defens
Today it means
noun The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin dēfendō / defense