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fend

Pronunciation: /ˈfɛnd/

The English word “fend” has 4 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. To take care of oneself; to take responsibility for one's own well-being.
  2. To defend, to take care of (typically construed with for); to block or push away (typically construed with off).

noun

  1. Self-support; taking care of one's own well-being.
  2. An enemy; fiend; the Devil.

Etymology

From Middle English fenden (“defend, fight, prevent”), shortening of defenden (“defend”), from Old French deffendre (Modern French défendre), from Latin dēfendō (“to ward off”), from dē- + *fendō (“hit, thrust”), from Proto-Italic *fendō, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- (“strike, kill”).

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