Protects from harm or attack; supports or argues in favor of someone or something; attempts to prevent an opponent from scoring in sports.
From Latin 'defendere' meaning 'to ward off', from 'de-' (away) and '-fendere' (to strike). The word originally had a military sense of striking away attackers, but expanded to include legal, verbal, and sports contexts.
The legal phrase 'the defense rests' comes from the idea that once you've presented your arguments, you can literally rest from the effort of defending. In medieval times, trial by combat meant defending quite literally involved physical fighting - modern courtroom advocacy maintains that combative spirit in verbal form.
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