self-defense
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From self- + defense. First used by Hobbes in the 1650s.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]
self-defense (usually uncountable, plural self-defenses)
- The means of defending oneself from physical attack.
- 2016 February 18, Kyung Lah, “Fearing attacks, Muslim women learn self-defense”, in CNN[1], archived from the original on 12 April 2021:
- Nearly all the women are wearing a hijab, one of the reasons they’re in this self-defense class in Antioch, Tennessee, a community nestled next to Nashville. For three hours, these Muslim women learn Krav Maga and Brazilian jiu-jitsu defense moves, including kicks, punches and elbow strikes that will help them escape an attacker.
- (law) The right to protect oneself against violence by using reasonable force, which can be used as justification in several charges including murder, assault, and battery.
- 2013 July 10, Patrik Jonsson, “George Zimmerman speaks, but won’t testify in his defense”, in The Christian Science Monitor[2], archived from the original on 23 January 2025:
- The case inspired widespread rallies and “Million Hoodie Marches” in early 2012, after Sanford, Fla., police refused to charge Zimmerman with a crime, saying they couldn’t counter his self-defense claim. A special state prosecutor indicted him 44 days later. The trial began June 10.
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]means of defending oneself from attack
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law: the right to protect oneself against violence by using reasonable force
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