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To repel danger or harm from; to protect; to secure against; attack; to maintain against force or argument; to uphold; to guard; as, to defend a town; to defend a cause; to defend character; to defend the absent; -- sometimes followed by from or against; as, to defend one's self from, or against, one's enemies. The lor…

prosecutor's case; the method of proceeding adopted by the defendant to protect himself against the plaintiff's action.

One against whom a fictitious action of fine was brought. [Obs.] Burrill.

er of a magistrate; to defy the arguments of an opponent; to defy public opinion. I once again Defy thee to the trial of mortal fight. Milton. I defy the enemies of our constitution to show the contrary. Burke.

at fall Degraded, to what wretched state reserved! Milton. He pride . . . struggled hard against this degrading passion. Macaulay.

ip; as, a relation in the third or fourth degree. In the 11th century an opinion began to gain ground in Italy, that third cousins might marry, being in the seventh degree according to the civil law. Hallam.

Dissuasion; advice against something. [R.]

r revere as a deity; to treat as an object of supreme regard; as, to deify money. He did again to extol and deify the pope. Bacon.

To carry or bring against, as a charge; to inform against; to accuse; to denounce. As men were delated, they were marked down for such a fine. Bp. Burnet.

To weigh in the mind; to consider the reasons for and against; to consider maturely; to reflect upon; to ponder; as, to deliberate a question.

The act of deliberating, or of weighing and examining the reasons for and against a choice or measure; careful consideration; mature reflection. Choosing the fairest way with a calm deliberation. W. Montagu.

An offense or transgression against law; (Scots Law) an offense of a lesser degree; a misdemeanor. Every regulation of the civil code necessarily implies a delict in the event of its violation. Jeffrey.

The right or title in virtue of which anything may be claimed; as, to hold a demand against a person.

The act of gainsaying, refusing, or disowning; negation; -- the contrary of affirmation. You ought to converse with so much sincerity that your bare affirmation or denial may be sufficient. Bp. Stillingfleet.

An instrument which, placed against the teeth, conveys sound to the auditory nerve; an audiphone. Knight.

The act of denouncing; public menace or accusation; the act of inveighing against, stigmatizing, or publicly arraigning; arraignment.

To declare not to be true; to gainsay; to contradict; -- opposed to affirm, allow, or admit.

as, dependent on God; dependent upon friends. England, long dependent and degraded, was again a power of the first rank. Macaulay. Dependent covenant or contract (Law), one not binding until some connecting stipulation is performed. -- Dependent variable (Math.), a varying quantity whose changes are arbitrary, but ar…

To pray against, as an evil; to seek to avert by player; to desire the removal of; to seek deliverance from; to express deep regret for; to disapprove of strongly. His purpose was deprecated by all round him, and he was with difficulty induced to adandon it. Sir W. Scott.

The act of deprecating; a praying against evil; prayer that an evil may be removed or prevented; strong expression of disapprobation. Humble deprecation. Milton.