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Serving, or suitable, for defense; defensive. [Obs.] With men of courage and with means defendant. Shak.

A joint defendant. Blackstone.

ilton . -- A writ of account (Law), a writ which the plaintiff brings demanding that the defendant shall render his just account, or show good cause to the contrary; -- called also an action of account. Cowell.

so called by abbreviation; as, a general's aid. Aid prayer (Law), a proceeding by which a defendant beseeches and claims assistance from some one who has a further or more permanent interest in the matter in suit. -- To pray in aid, to beseech and claim such assistance.

The defendant in an appeal; -- opposed to appellant.

A legal agent qualified to act for suitors and defendants in legal proceedings; an attorney at law.

To defeat or evade; to invalidate. Thus, in a replication, the plaintiff may deny the defendant's plea, or confess it, and avoid it by stating new matter. Blackstone.

The defendant in replevin, who avows the distress of the goods, and justifies the taking. Cowell.

A declaration made in writing, stating some wrong the complainant has suffered from the defendant, or a fault committed by some person against a law.

he individual jurors returned. -- Peremptory challenge, a privilege sometimes allowed to defendants, of challenging a certain number of jurors (fixed by statute in different States) without assigning any cause. -- Principal challenge, that which the law allows to be sufficient if found to be true.

A form of defense in the action of replevin, by which the defendant insists that the goods were lawfully taken, as a distress, by defendant, acting as servant for another. [Eng.] Cowell. Mozley & W.

One who ackowledged the right of the plaintiff or cognizee in a fine; the defendant. Blackstone.

An instrument in writting whereby a defendant in an action acknowledges a plaintiff's demand to be just. Mozley & W.

An apparent right; as where the defendant in trespass gave to the plaintiff an appearance of title, by stating his title specially, thus removing the cause from the jury to the court. Blackstone.

o shut off; to restrain; to limit; to estop; to bar; -- generally in the passive; as, the defendant is concluded by his own plea; a judgment concludes the introduction of further evidence argument. If therefore they will appeal to revelation for their creation they must be concluded by it. Sir M. Hale.…

he Fates with traitors do contrive. Shak. Thou hast contrived against th very life Of the defendant. Shak.

ourt; also, collectively, the legal advocates united in the management of a case; as, the defendant has able counsel. The King found his counsel as refractory as his judges. Macaulay.

A bill brought by a defendant, in an equity or chancery suit, against the plaintiff, respecting the matter in question in that suit. Bouvier.

opinion; to come to a conclusion; to give decision; as, the court decided in favor of the defendant. Who shall decide, when doctors disagree Pope.

the benefit of law, as a failure to appear in court at a day assigned, especially of the defendant in a suit when called to make answer; also of jurors, witnesses, etc. In default of, in case of failure or lack of. Cooks could make artificial birds and fishes in default of the real ones. Arbuthnot. -- To suffer a defa…