| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
defence or defense (dɪˈfɛns) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | resistance against danger, attack, or harm; protection |
| 2. | a person or thing that provides such resistance |
| 3. | a plea, essay, speech, etc, in support of something; vindication; justification |
| 4. | a. a country's military measures or resources |
| b. (as modifier): defence spending | |
| 5. | law a defendant's denial of the truth of the allegations or charge against him |
| 6. | law Compare prosecution the defendant and his legal advisers collectively |
| 7. | sport |
| a. the action of protecting oneself, one's goal, or one's allotted part of the playing area against an opponent's attacks | |
| b. the method of doing this | |
| c. the defence the players in a team whose function is to do this | |
| 8. | ( |
| a. the team that does not have possession of the ball | |
| b. the members of a team that play in such circumstances | |
| 9. | psychoanal See defence mechanism |
| 10. | (plural) fortifications |
| [C13: from Old French, from Late Latin dēfensum, past participle of dēfendere to | |
| defense or defense | |
| —n | |
| [C13: from Old French, from Late Latin dēfensum, past participle of dēfendere to | |
| de'fenceless or defense | |
| —adj | |
| de'fenseless or defense | |
| —adj | |
| de'fencelessly or defense | |
| —adv | |
| de'fenselessly or defense | |
| —adv | |
| de'fencelessness or defense | |
| —n | |
| de'fenselessness or defense | |
| —n | |
defense de·fense (dĭ-fěns')
n.
A means or method that helps protect the body or mind, as against disease or anxiety.