defendant — de·fen·dant /di fen dənt, ˌdant/ n: the party against whom a criminal or civil action is brought see also answer, codefendant compare accused, plaintiff … Law dictionary
defendant — de‧fen‧dant [dɪˈfendənt] noun [countable] LAW the person or organization in a court of law that has been accused of doing something illegal: • The defendant was convicted and sentenced to 7 years in state prison. * * * defendant UK US… … Financial and business terms
Defendant — De*fend ant (d[ e]*f[e^]nd ant), a. [F. d[ e]fendant, p. pr. of d[ e]fendre. See {Defend}.] 1. Serving, or suitable, for defense; defensive. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] With men of courage and with means defendant. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Making… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
defendant — (n.) c.1400, in the legal sense, from Fr. défendant, prp. of défendre (see DEFEND (Cf. defend)). Earliest use in English was as a prp. adj. meaning defending (c.1300) … Etymology dictionary
defendant — [dē fen′dənt, difen′dənt; dē fen′dant΄, di fen′dant΄] adj. [ME defendaunt < OFr defendant, prp. of defendre] defending n. Law the defending party; person sued or accused: opposed to PLAINTIFF … English World dictionary
Defendant — De*fend ant, n. 1. One who defends; a defender. [1913 Webster] The rampiers and ditches which the defendants had cast up. Spotswood. [1913 Webster] 2. (Law) A person required to make answer in an action or suit; opposed to plaintiff. Abbott.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
defendant — An individual (or business) against whom a lawsuit is filed. (BankruptcyAction.com) United Glossary of Bankruptcy Terms 2012 … Glossary of Bankruptcy
defendant — [n] accused appellant, litigant, offender, prisoner, suspect; concept 412 … New thesaurus
defendant — ► NOUN ▪ a person sued or accused in a court of law. Compare with PLAINTIFF(Cf. ↑plaintiff) … English terms dictionary
Defendant — A defendant or defender (Δ in legal shorthand) is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute … Wikipedia
