defence

Reading level: medium

Estimated CEFR level: B1 — Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
  2. noun (sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring
  3. noun the defendant and his legal advisors collectively

Etymology

From Middle English defens, defense, from Old French defens, defense, from Late Latin dēfēnsa (“protection”). Displaced Old English bewering.

In classic literature

Synonyms

defense mechanism, defense reaction, defence mechanism, defence reaction, defense

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