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Webster 1913 Edition

Fend

Fend

,
Noun.
A fiend.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

Fend

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Fended
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Fending
.]
[Abbrev. fr.
defend
.]
To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward off; to shut out; – often with off;
as, to
fend
off blows
.
With fern beneath to
fend
the bitter cold.
Dryden.
To fend off a boat
or
To fend off a vessel
(Naut.)
,
to prevent its running against anything with too much violence.

Fend

,
Verb.
I.
To act on the defensive, or in opposition; to resist; to parry; to shift off.
The dexterous management of terms, and being able to
fend
. . . with them, passes for a great part of learning.
Locke.

Webster 1828 Edition

Fend

FEND

,
Verb.
T.
[The root of defend and offend. The primary sense is to fall on, or to strike, to repel.]
To keep off; to prevent from entering; to ward off; to shut out.
With fern beneath to fend the bitter cold.
It is usually followed by off; as, to fend off blows.
To fend off a boat or vessel, is to prevent its running against another, or against a wharf, &c., with too much violence.

FEND

,
Verb.
I.
To act in opposition; to resist; to parry; to shift off.

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