defendant

de-fen-dant · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A person, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law.

  2. 2.

    A person defending or denying something.

Forms

plural: defendants

Related words

Antonyms: plaintiff, prosecutor
See also: accused, defend, defendants, plaintiff
Synonyms: accused, respondent

Etymology

From Old French defendant, present participle of defendre "to defend," from Latin defendere meaning "to ward off, protect."