Fend
/fɛnd/noun
To defend or resist; to keep away or provide for oneself.
Did you know?*Fend* is historically tied to *defend* and *offend* through Latin *defendere* (“to ward off”), showing how English split one protective root into words for both shielding and attacking.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰendʰ-
“to seize, grasp”
Latin
Latin
defendere
“to ward off, repel, protect”
Old French
Old French
defendre
“to forbid; to defend”
Middle English
English
fenden
“to defend, protect; to drive away”
Modern English
English
fend
“to resist, ward off, or provide for oneself”