Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Fend \Fend\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Fended}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Fending}.] [Abbrev. fr. defend.]
   To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward
   off; to shut out; -- often with off; as, to fend off blows.

         With fern beneath to fend the bitter cold. --Dryden.

   {To fend off a} {boat or vessel} (Naut.), to prevent its
      running against anything with too much violence.