Defence

How to spell defence

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce defence

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does defence mean?

1. nounThe action of protecting someone or something from attack, harm, or criticism.
2. nounThe case or arguments presented by the party accused in a legal proceeding.
3. nounThe players or tactics concerned with stopping the opposing team from scoring.

Defence in a sentence

• The castle walls were built for defence against raiders.

• The defence called three witnesses to the stand.

• The team's defence collapsed in the final ten minutes.

• The country increased spending on national defence last year.

• His lawyer built the defence around a solid alibi.

• A strong defence kept the opponents from scoring all season.

Where does defence come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin verb defendere, meaning 'to ward off' or 'to protect', which was built from the prefix de- (here meaning 'off' or 'away') and the verb fendere (to strike or push). The noun form defensa described the act of warding something off, and this passed into Old French as defens and defense before arriving in Middle English during the 1300s. The same fendere root lies hidden inside 'offend', 'fend', and 'fender', all of which still carry the idea of striking or warding off. In British and Canadian usage the noun settled with a -ce ending (defence), while American English standardised on -se (defense); the related verb 'defend' keeps the d in every dialect. The c/s split is exactly the trap, since writers constantly see the American 'defense' in films, sport, and software.

How the word is built

• de- (off, away)
• fend (from Latin fendere: to strike)
• -ence (noun-forming suffix)

British and American spelling

Defence is the British spelling. American English spells it defense.