Part 105

De*fen"sive, n. That which defends; a safeguard.

Wars preventive, upon just fears, are true defensives.

Bacon.

To be on the defensive, To stand on the defensive, to be or stand in a state or posture of defense or resistance, in opposition to aggression or attack.

De*fen"sive*ly, adv. On the defensive.

De*fen"sor (?), n. [L. See Defenser.] 1. A defender. Fabyan.

2. (Law) A defender or an advocate in court; a guardian or protector.

3. (Eccl.) The patron of a church; an officer having charge of the temporal affairs of a church.

De*fen"so*ry (?), a. [L. defensorius.] Tending to defend; defensive; as, defensory preparations.

De*fer" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deferred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Deferring.] [OE. differren, F. différer, fr. L. differre to delay, bear different ways; dis- + ferre to bear. See Bear to support, and cf. Differ, Defer to offer.] To put off; to postpone to a future time; to delay the execution of; to delay; to withhold.

Defer the spoil of the city until night.

Shak.

God . . . will not long defer To vindicate the glory of his name.

Milton.

De*fer", v. i. To put off; to delay to act; to wait.

Pius was able to defer and temporize at leisure.

J. A. Symonds.

De*fer", v. t. [F. déférer to pay deference, to yield, to bring before a judge, fr. L. deferre to bring down; de- + ferre to bear. See Bear to support, and cf. Defer to delay, Delate.] 1. To render or offer. [Obs.]

Worship deferred to the Virgin.

Brevint.

2. To lay before; to submit in a respectful manner; to refer; -- with to.

Hereupon the commissioners . . . deferred the matter to the Earl of Northumberland.

Bacon.

De*fer", v. i. To yield deference to the wishes of another; to submit to the opinion of another, or to authority; -- with to.

The house, deferring to legal right, acquiesced.

Bancroft.

Def"er*ence (?), n. [F. déférence. See 3d Defer.] A yielding of judgment or preference from respect to the wishes or opinion of another; submission in opinion; regard; respect; complaisance.

Deference to the authority of thoughtful and sagacious men.