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)