LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“defend” in Latin

The English word defend itself goes back to Latin fendō, through dēfendō.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

defend
defendere; defensare (to defend anybody or anything from an actual attack, whether with arms or words: defensare has the accessory notion of great activity and perseverance; against or from anybody or anything, ab aliquo and ab aliqua re, and contra aliquem): tueri; tutari (protect; to defend from possible attacks, from dangers; whether with arms or words; against or from anybody or anything, ab aliquo, or ab aliqua, re, or contra aliquem or aliquid): tegere; protegere (to defend with arms, or other means of defence; protegere also with words; to defend anybody in anything, tegere aliquem in aliqua re). (The words are found in this connection and order.) defendere et protegere ab aliqua re or contra aliquid: propugnare pro aliqua re (be its champion; to fight for with arms or words). (The words are found in this connection and order.) defendere et propugnare: alicui praesidio esse (to be a bulwark, a protector): prohibere aliquid (to keep a thing afar off; to ward it off; of things; e.g., medicines: to defend anything or anybody from anything or anybody, prohibere aliquid ab aliquo or aliquem ab aliqua re; e.g., agros populationibus prohibere, Liv., ; aliquem contumeliis militum conviciisque, Caes., injurias ab aliquo, Caes.): dicere pro aliquo, or pro aliqua re (to make a speech in defence, to plead his cause; especially in a court of justice): patrocinium alicujus or alicujus rei suscipere; alicui or alicui rei patrocinari (to defend or take anybody or anything under one’s patronage, and speak for): to defend anybody (in a court of justice), causam alicujus defendere or dicere (to plead his cause); alicui in jure cavere (Cic., of a jurist giving his client the necessary forms and precautions): to defend people (in a court of justice, as an advocate), causas defensitare or tueri; anybody before the praetor, defendere aliquem apud praetorem; anybody against unjust accusers, defendere aliquem contra iniquos; anybody’s innocence, defendere innocentiam alicujus; anybody’s reputation, propugnare pro alicujus fama: to defend one’s self, defendere ipsum sese (in a general sense); dicere ipsum pro se (in a court of justice): se purgare (to defend one’s self successfully in a court of justice); vim vi repellere (from violence): to defend one’s self from anybody’s anger, se tutari ab alicujus ira: to defend anybody from cold, a frigore defendere (Verg.), munire (Col.); from the heat, tutari a calore (Cic.); one’s life, defendere vitam: to defend one’s life and reputation, defendere caput et famam (Cic.): to permit anybody to defend himself, defensionem alicui dare (Cic.): to defend the frontiers, tueri fines ab incursionibus hostium (Cic.); anything against fire, aliquid contra ignem firmare; against frost and storm, a frigore et tempestate munire; anybody carefully against wind, cold, and rain, aliquem diligenter munire a vento, frigore, pluvia.
To fortify, firmare (to make secure); against anything, contra aliquid: munire (to fortify); against anything, ab aliqua re, contra or adversus aliquid: sepire (to defend by a trench, or fence of any sort): custodire (to defend or guard against detriment by vigilant inspection): to defend (by surrounding), circummunire: to defend a garden against the forcible entry of men, hortum munire ab incursu hominum: to defend the pass by a strong redoubt, fauces regionis valido munimento sepire: defended by the nature of the ground, loci natura munitus; situ naturali munitus; both by nature and art, et natura loci et manu, or operibus et loco munitus; cum manu munitus, tum natura loci: nature has defended Italy by the Alps, Alpibus muniit Italiam natura.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for defend?
The usual Latin words for “defend” are dēfendō, dēfēnsō, tueor; also tūtor, tegō, prōtegō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.