fend

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /fɛnd/ UK /fɛnd/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like fand /ɛ/ vs /æ/ Sounds like feigned /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to defend or provide for, or to ward off

After college she learned to fend for herself.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to defend or provide for,... defend ward repel parry resist provide shield

Opposites

attack yield surrender

Word family

Derived forms fender

Related forms defend offend fence

Etymology

A Middle English shortening of defend, from Old French defendre, from Latin defendere ('to ward off'), from de- ('away') + -fendere ('to strike').

defendere Latin *gʷʰen- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

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Actions & Processes

# fend

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** fɛnd
**IPA (UK):** fɛnd

## Meanings
1. to defend or provide for, or to ward off

## Examples
- After college she learned to fend for herself.

## Synonyms
- defend
- ward
- repel
- parry
- resist
- provide
- shield

## Antonyms
- attack
- yield
- surrender

## Derived Forms
- fender

## Related Forms
- defend
- offend
- fence

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: defendere
- Root: *gʷʰen-

## Etymology
A Middle English shortening of defend, from Old French defendre, from Latin defendere ('to ward off'), from de- ('away') + -fendere ('to strike').

## AI Etymology
Fend has this etymological history: A Middle English shortening of defend, from Old French defendre, from Latin defendere ('to ward off'), from de- ('away') + -fendere ('to strike'). The etymological trail includes Latin defendere and Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen-. As a verb, fend means to defend or provide for, or to ward off. The same family is visible in derived forms such as fender and related forms such as defend, offend, and fence. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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fend

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