Fend \Fend\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fended; p. pr. & vb. n. Fending.]

[Abbrev. fr. defend.]

To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward off; to shut out; -- often with off; as, to fend off blows.

With fern beneath to fend the bitter cold. --Dryden.

To fend off a boat or vessel (Naut.), to prevent its running against anything with too much violence.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Fend \Fend\, n. A fiend. [Obs.]

--Chaucer.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Fend \Fend\, v. i. To act on the defensive, or in opposition; to resist; to parry; to shift off.

The dexterous management of terms, and being able to fend . . . with them, passes for a great part of learning. --Locke.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)