defendere

Defendere is a Latin verb meaning “to defend” or “to ward off.” It belongs to the third conjugation and appears in classical Latin with the standard active system of that conjugation. The infinitive is defendere, and the common principal parts are defendo, defendere, defendi, defensum, used to form all the tenses and voices.

Etymology and meaning: the verb is formed with the prefix de- plus a root related to fencing or striking, conveying the idea of repelling an attack or protecting something. In Latin, defendere is used for defending people, cities, laws, borders, or rights, and can take a direct object in the accusative (e.g., defensum castra hostibus) and various prepositional phrases to indicate the opponent or the context.

Usage in Latin: defendere is employed in active and passive constructions. Romans might say, for example, Romani fines defendunt (The Romans defend the borders) or Hostes urbem oppugnant; defendere eos varias copias non poteautur (to defend them against various forces). The imperfect, future, and perfect tenses follow the typical 3rd-conjugation patterns, and participles such as defensor (one who defends) and defensus (defended, defensible) derive from the same verb.

Relation to modern languages: in Italian, the everyday verb for “to defend” is difendere, not defendere. The form defendere survives primarily in Latin text, linguistic discussions, and scholarly dictionaries. In English and other languages, defendere appears chiefly as a Latin lemma quoted in academic contexts, translations, or mottoes.

In summary, defendere is a core Latin verb of the third conjugation used to express defending actions across classical texts, with standard conjugation patterns and a basis for related nouns and participles.