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.

Fend \Fend\, n.
   A fiend. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Fend \Fend\, v. i.
   To act on the defensive, or in opposition; to resist; to
   parry; to shift off.

         The dexterous management of terms, and being able to
         fend . . . with them, passes for a great part of
         learning.                                --Locke.

Source : WordNet®

fend
     v 1: try to manage without help; "The youngsters had to fend for
          themselves after their parents died"
     2: withstand the force of something; "The trees resisted her";
        "stand the test of time"; "The mountain climbers had to
        fend against the ice and snow" [syn: {resist}, {stand}]