Etymology of the English word defend
the English word
defendderived from the Old French word
defendrederived from the Late Latin word
defendere (defend, guard, protect; repel, fend, ward off)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*gʷhen-derived from the French word
defendderived from the Late Latin word
defendere (defend, guard, protect; repel, fend, ward off)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*gʷhen-Date
The earliest known usage of defend in English dates from the 13th century.
Derivations in English
defended,
defendingCognates
French
défendre, Italian
difendere, Latin
defendere, Spanish
defenderUsage
Word found in Modern English
