defense
de.fense or de.fence \di-'fen(t)s, 'de--.\ \-l*s\ n [ME, fr. OF, fr. (assumed) VL defensa, fr. L, fem. of defensus, pp.] chiefly Brit of defendere 1a: the act of defending 1b: a defendant's denial, answer, or plea 2: capability of resisting attack 3a: means or method of defending 3b: an argument in support or justification 3c: a sequence of moves available in chess to the second player in the open ing 4: defenders or the positions taken up by them - de.fense.less aj