the.com/defendant

means In a lawsuit or criminal case, the person being sued or accused — the party defending against the claims brought by the other side.

from From the Latin defendere, 'to ward off, protect,' built from de- ('away') and a root fendere meaning 'to strike' (a cousin of the -fend in offend and the fence you put up to keep things out). The form 'defendant' is the present participle — literally 'one who is defending' — arriving in English through Old French défendant. So buried in the word is a small irony: the accused is named not for the accusation but for the act of holding it off.