Etymologically
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defendant

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dɪˈfen.dənt/, /dəˈfen.dənt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Anglo-Norman defendant, Old French defendant, the present participle of defendre, to defend (see defend),[2][3][4] used as a noun.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a present participle adjective, defending, in the phrase him self defendaunt, in his own defence: about 1314.[5][2][4]

Semantic evolution

The legal noun, a party sued or accused in a court of law, is from about 1400 in Etymonline,[2] the 14th century in Merriam-Webster.[3] A defender against attack (before 1533) and one who defends an opinion (1665) are obsolete senses.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1314 – defending (adjective).[5]
  • c. 1400 – a party sued in court.[2]
  • before 1533 – a defender (obsolete).[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The person against whom a legal action or charge is brought in a court of law; compare plaintiff.

Adjective

  1. (archaic) Defending.

Word family

  • nondefendant
  • codefendant

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press