Defender

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Defender \De*fend"er\ (d[-e]*f[e^]nd"[~e]r), n. [Cf. {Fender}.]
     One who defends; one who maintains, supports, protects, or
     vindicates; a champion; an advocate; a vindicator.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Provinces . . . left without their ancient and puissant


           defenders.                               --Motley.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  defender
       n 1: a person who cares for persons or property [syn: {guardian},
             {protector}, {shielder}]
       2: a fighter who holds out against attack [syn: {withstander}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  58 Moby Thesaurus words for "defender":
     Maecenas, abettor, admirer, advocate, aficionado, angel, apologete,
     apologist, apologizer, backer, buff, champion, dependence,
     encourager, endorser, exponent, fan, favorer, friend at court,
     guard, justifier, lover, mainstay, maintainer, paladin, paranymph,
     partisan, patron, patroness, pillar, pleader, promoter, proponent,
     protagonist, protector, protectress, reliance, rock, safekeeper,
     second, seconder, sectary, sider, sponsor, stalwart, standby,
     successful advocate, support, supporter, sustainer, sympathizer,
     tower, tower of strength, upholder, vindicator, votary,
     well-wisher, whitewasher
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  DEFENDER, canon law. The name by which the defendant or respondent is known 
  in the ecclesiastical courts.