
Related to Defend: defend against

TO DEFEND. To forbid. This word is used in some old English statutes in the sense it has in French, namely, to forbid. 5 Pic. 2, c. Lord Coke uses the word in this sense: it is defended by law to distrain on the highway." Co Litt. 160, b. 161 a. In an old work entitled, Legends, printed by Winkin de Worde, in 1527, fo. 96, we find examples of the use of the word in this sense, "He defended," (forbade) "to pay the wage," (tribute,) "for he said he was a king." "She wrote the obligation when she put her hand to the tree against the defence." (prohibition of God.)
     2. In pleading, to defend is to deny; and the effect of the word "defends" is, that the defendant denies the right of the plaintiff, or the force and wrong charged. Steph. Pl. 432.
     3. In contracts, to defend is to guaranty; to agree to indemnify. In most conveyances of land the grantor covenants to warrant and defend. It is his duty, then, to prevent all persons against whom he defends, from doing any act which would evict him; when there is a mortgage upon the land, and the mortgagee demands possession or payment of the covenantee, and threatens suit, this is a breach of the covenant to defend, and for quiet enjoyment. 17 Mass. R. 586.

References in periodicals archive ?
Ruto and indeed all of us have the right to travel to any corner of Kenya in any capacity except to commit a crime, and this must be defended except by those who wish to destroy and dismember Kenya.
He emphasized that he would continue to defend the Ukrainian army from the attacks within the country, from any attempts to diminish the historical significance of its heroism.
'When you have such a low target to defend, even one or two bad overs are enough to finish the game off,' he said.
When we talk about defending high and defending deep, when you defend high and Alberto Moreno gets caught, his pace gets him out of a lot of trouble.
While people who peddle fake news should be hold accountable, De Lima said Filipinos should defend 'anyone and everyone who is in the rightful, responsible and accountable exercise of their rights.'
The party also sought to defend the government's move to pay Jethmalani from the public exchequer, saying the penniless AAP and Kejriwal cannot afford expensive lawyers.
Given the importance of the issue, all of the stakeholders in a liability claim are well-served by the tests for determining whether an insurer has a duty to defend being well-defined.
When they don't try to play and just defend, defend, defend, this in my opinion shows a small mentality and they are not going to do anything in the competition."
The peer-to-peer interaction is neither incidental nor occasional; rather, it is a consistent pattern between students in which one with higher status (e.g., more popular) or power (e.g., larger or stronger) aggresses toward another student who feels less equipped to defend him or herself (Gini & Pozzoli, 2006; Olweus, 1993; Olweus & Limber, 2010).
The duty to defend owed by an insurer is very broad and requires an insurer to defend even if there is only a potential for coverage on the facts of the case and the policy wording.
The days that Jews were unable to defend themselves against threats and they remained silent as their enemies attempted to destroy them are over and will not return.