defender

Meaning

Noun

• Someone who defends people or property.
• One of the players whose primary task is to prevent the opposition from scoring.
• A fighter who seeks to repel an attack.
• A lawyer who represents defendants, especially a public defender; a defense attorney (US) or defence counsel (UK).
• A defendant in a civil action.

Origin

• From Middle English defender, deffender, defendere, defendour, defendoure, partly from Anglo-Norman defendour, from Old French defendëor; partly from Middle English defenden + -ere, equivalent to defend + -er.