Lewis Short
(verb) : dē-fendo, di, sum (
* Infin. pass. parag.: defendier, Verg. A. 8, 493: Juv. 15, 157.— Part. gen. plur. sync.: defendentum,Verg. A. 11, 886), 3, arch.: FENDO; cf. Sanscr. han (ghan), to smite; Gr. θείνω; hence, also offendo, infensus, infestus, mani-festus; cf. fustis, to fend or ward off any thing hostile or injurious; to repel, avert, keep off: propulsando arcere (for syn. cf.: tueor, tutor, servo, conservo. propugno, protego, vindico, caveo—freq. and class.); regularly constr. with acc. alone (so in Cic. and Caes.); very rarely aliquid (aliquem) ab aliquo, and in poets also aliquid alicui; cf. Zumpt. Gr. § 469.
* Aliquid (aliquem): ut tu morbos calamitates intemperiasque prohibessis, defendas averruncesque,Cato R. R. 141, 2: serva cives, defende hostes, cum potes defendere, Enn. ap. Non. 277, 21; cf. bellum (opp. inferre),Caes. B. G. 1, 44, 13; 2, 29fin.: ad defendendos ictus ac repellendos,id. B. C. 2, 9, 3; cf.: ignis jactus et lapides,id. ib. 2, 2, 4: frigus et solem,Cato R. R. 48, 2; cf.: nimios solis ardores,Cic. de Sen. 15, 53; and frigus,Hor. S. 1, 3, 14; also: sitim fonte et purā lymphā,to quench,Sil. 7, 170: qui non defendit injuriam neque propulsat,Cic. Off. 3, 18, 74; so, injuriam,id. Rosc. Am. 1: noxiam,Ter. Phorm. 1, 4, 48: imperatoris sui tribunorumque plebis injurias,Caes. B. C. 1, 7 fin.: vim suorum,id. ib. 3, 110, 4; cf.: vim illatam vi,Cic. Mil. 4: pericula,id. Mur. 3; Tac. A. 13, 56: hunc furorem,Verg. A. 10, 905: dedecus manu,Sil. 13, 99 et saep.: crimen,to answer, defend against an accusation,Liv. 42, 48, 2.
* Transf., like prohibere, with acc. of that from which any thing is warded off or averted, to defend, guard, protect, cover.
* Aliquid alicui (cf. arceo, no. II. d.): iniuriam foribus,Plaut. Most. 4, 2, 20: solstitium pecori,Verg. E. 7, 47; cf.: aestatem capellis,Hor. Od. 1, 17, 3; Prop. 1, 20, 11: tela misero,Sil. 17, 432: dedecus morti,id. 5, 490: senium famae,Stat. Th. 9, 318.
* Absol., to put a stop (to a fire), to check the flames: nec quisquam defendere audebat, crebris minis restinguere prohibentium,Tac. A. 15, 38; cf.: urbem incendere, feris in populum immissis, quo difficilius defenderentur,Suet. Ner. 43.
* In gen. (so most freq. in all perr. and species of composition), constr. with acc. alone; with acc. and ab aliquo (contra aliquid), or merely ab aliquo; and absol.
* With simple acc.: Aeduos ceterosque amicos populi Rom.,Caes. B. G. 1, 35 fin.: eos,id. ib. 2, 10, 4; id. B. C. 1, 6, 2: se armis,id. B. G. 6, 34: se manu,id. ib. 5, 7, 8; 6, 40, 6 et saep.: castra,id. ib. 3, 3 fin.; id. B. C. 3, 67, 5; 3, 94, 6 (with tueri): oppidum,id. B. G. 3, 16, 3 et saep.: eum defendo, quem tu accusas,Cic. Sull. 17: aliquem apud praetores,id. Clu. 45, 126: aliquem de ambitu,id. Sull. 2, 6: cf. causam,id. Clu. 27, 74; id. Sull. 31, 86; id. Lael. 25, 96 et passim: d. ac tegere scelus,id. Sull. 31, 86; cf. with protegere,id. ib. 18, 50: justitiam,id. Lael. 7, 25: communem salutem,id. Rep. 1, 1; id. Mur. 2 fin. et saep.: locum,to preserve, maintain,id. Quint. 13, 43; cf.: vicem modo rhetoris atque poëtae,to sustain,Hor. S. 1, 10, 12: actorum partes,id. A. P. 194: aedes Vestae vix defensa est (sc. ab incendio),preserved,Liv. 26, 27.
* In partic.
* With ab aliquo: quod et ab incendio lapis et ab ariete materia defendit,Caes. B. G. 7, 23, 5; so id. B. C. 1, 25 fin.; 3, 63, 7.
* Aliquem (aliquid) contra, or adversus aliquem: me scio a te contra iniquos meos solere defendi,Cic. Fam. 11, 27, 7: sese adversus populum Romanum defendere,id. Phil. 1, 6, 13: me adversus Abrupolim,Liv. 42, 41, 10; Just. 2, 4, 32; Suet. Caes. 71; Liv. 5, 35, 4: auctoritatem contra invidiam,Cic. Phil, 8, 4; 13, 11; id. Fam. 5, 2, 6; id. Sest. 67, 141; 23, 51; 52, 111; id. Phil. 2, 18, 45.—(ε) Absol.: filii qui et sentire et defendere possent,Cic. Rosc. Am. 23, 64 fin.: cum jam defenderet nemo,Caes. B. G. 2, 33, 6: defendentibus civibus Romanis,id. B. C. 3, 40, 6; cf. in the abl. absol., id. B. G. 2, 12, 3; id. B. C. 3, 68 fin.; Cic. Lael. 25, 96 et saep.: quibus eae partes ad defendendum obvenerunt,Caes. B. G. 7, 81 fin.
* Of speech, to defend, support, maintain; to bring forward, allege in defence (so repeatedly in Cic.; elsewhere rare).
* With acc.: (Carneades) nullam umquam in illis suis disputationibus rem defendit, quam non probarit,Cic. de Or. 2, 38 fin.; cf. id. Fam. 4, 14: me id maxime defendisse, ut, etc.,have chiefly striven for,id. Rosc. Am. 47; Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 37; 2, 5, 58.
* In the later jurid. Lat., to claim, vindicate, or prosecute at law: quia libertatem et hereditatem ex testamento sibi defendebat,Dig. 5, 3, 7: si patris mortem defendere necesse habuerit,i. e. legally to avenge his death,ib. 38, 2, 14, § 7; 48, 2, 11.
* With a relative clause: (quae turpitudines) cur non cadant in sapientem, non est facile defendere,Cic. Fin. 2, 35, 117.
Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary