English Explanatory Dictionary

fend

English dictionary entry

Meanings

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.
noun
  1. An enemy; fiend; the Devil.

Pronunciation

/ˈfɛnd/ [ˈfɛnd] En-us-fend.ogg /ˈfɪnd/ [ˈfɪ̟nd]

Word forms

fend fends fending fended

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”).

Derived words

fend and prove fend away fender fend for oneself fend off forfend

Translations

Bulgarian: грижа се Dutch: zijn eigen boontjes doppen Estonian: tõrjuma Finnish: huolehtia itsestään Finnish: pitää huolta itsestään Finnish: selviytyä Finnish: pärjätä French: prendre soin de soi German: alleine auskommen German: für sich selbst sorgen Spanish: valerse por sí mismo
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