DEFENSE

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin defensa vengeance, from Latin, feminine of defensus, past participle of defendere Date: 14th century 1. the act or action of defending , a defendant's denial, answer, or plea, 2. capability of resisting attack, defensive play or ability , 3. means or method of defending or protecting oneself, one's team, or another, an argument in support or justification, the collected facts and method adopted by a defendant to protect and defend against a plaintiff's action, a sequence of moves available in chess to the second player in the opening, 4. a defending party or group (as in a court of law) , a defensive team, the military and industrial aggregate that authorizes and supervises arms production , ~less adjective ~lessly adverb ~lessness noun II. transitive verb (~d; defensing) Date: 1950 to take specific defensive action against (an opposing team or player or an offensive play)