" defendant "

[Noun]  | "de*fen*dant" | \ di-ˈfen-dənt \

1: a person or group against whom a criminal or civil action is brought : someone who is being sued or accused of committing a crime

Origin: 14th century ;

 Middle English defendaunt, borrowed from Anglo-French defendant, diffendaunt, noun derivative from present participle of defendre "to {see: |defend|defend}";

[Noun]  | "co*de*fen*dant" | \ ˌkō-di-ˈfen-dənt \

1: a defendant in the same lawsuit or criminal prosecution as another defendant or group of defendants : a joint defendant

Origin: 1641 ;

[Adjective]  | "defendant" 

1: being on the defensive : defending

Origin: 14th century ;

 Middle English defendaunt, from Anglo-French defendant, present participle of defendre "to {see: |defend|defend}";

[Noun]  | "defendant"