Often we find in the literature, and also hear in a speech teeming with book expressions, the word "fend off." It can be heard both in scientific circles and read in a work of art. What does it mean? After all, to know the meaning of the word “fend off”, obviously, is worth every person who claims to be called smart and educated.
Etymology
To begin with, as almost always when trying to figure out what the original foreign word means, we’ll deal with its source. Etymological dictionaries tell us that the closest relative of the Russian to “fend off” is the French parer, which, in turn, comes from the Latin parere, which means “to cook”. Subsequently, having reached the meaning, we can easily understand why this particular verb was borrowed from the French language.
Grammatical and stylistic characteristics
The word "fend off", as already mentioned, has long taken root in the Russian language and is easily integrated into its verb system. This verb can be defined as two-species (it can be understood both in perfect and in imperfect form). And also transitional: used with the control “parry someone / what?” without pretext.
As for the style of use, the word is book. It can often be found in the literature. With oral use it is worth being careful not to seem too pathetic and pompous.
Values
First, consider the derivative of the verb in question, the noun “parry”. This word means nothing more than a blow in fencing, a response to a blow or swing of the enemy. Everything immediately becomes clear: after all, the art of fencing in many countries spread precisely from France, which, together with the gallomania that swept Europe almost from the Enlightenment until the 19th century, determined the fate of the Roman verb.
So, the first, initial meaning of the verb “fend off” is to reflect the blow in fencing. Example of use: “Masterfully holding a sword, my opponent-musketeer made a deft attack, but I was not a miss: I managed to fend off his blow.”
Another meaning of the word is figurative. Today, when fencing is just a hobby, and the possession of a sword and a sword has lost its former relevance, you can hear this word most often in this sense. The meaning of the word “parry” in this case is a reflection, a refutation of the arguments, arguments of the opponent in the dispute, a person with whom the speaker disagrees. An example of the use of this word in this case is as follows: "After my speech, a whole scientific discussion grew out of a simple question from the listener: counterarguments to my theory poured on me from all sides, but I seem to have successfully parried all their arguments."