different between defense vs certainty

English

Alternative forms

• defence (British)

Etymology

From French défense, itself from Late Latin d?fensa (“protection”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /d??f?ns/
• (sports): (US, often) IPA^(key): /?di??f?ns/
• Rhymes: -?ns

Noun

defense (countable and uncountable, plural defenses) (American spelling)

1. The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.
2. Anything employed to oppose attack(s).
   1. (team sports) A strategy and tactics employed to prevent the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.
   2. (team sports) The portion of a team dedicated to preventing the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.
3. An argument in support or justification of something.
   1. (law, by extension) The case presented by the defendant in a legal proceeding.
   2. (law, by extension) The lawyer or team thereof who presents such a case.
4. (government, military) Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military.

   Department of Defense

5. (obsolete) A prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:defense

Antonyms

• offense

Derived terms

Translations

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /de??fen.se/, [d?e??f??s??]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /de?fen.se/, [d???f?ns?]

Participle

d?f?nse

1. vocative masculine singular of d?f?nsus

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /de?fense/, [d?e?f?n.se]

Verb

defense

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of defensar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of defensar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of defensar.
4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of defensar.

English

Etymology

From Middle English certeynte (“surety”), from Anglo-Norman certeinte, from Old French certeinete, from Vulgar Latin *cert?nit?s, from Latin certus.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s?tn?ti/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s??tn?ti/
• Hyphenation: cer?tain?ty

Noun

certainty (countable and uncountable, plural certainties)

1. The state of being certain.

   Synonyms: certitude, sureness

   Antonyms: doubt, uncertainty

   • October 12, 1786, Fisher Ames, "Lucius Junius Brutus", in Independent Chronicle

     The certainty of punishment is the truest security against crimes.

2. An instance of being certain.
3. A fact or truth unquestionably established.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:sure thing

   • November 2 2014, Daniel Taylor, "Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United," guardian.co.uk

     Yet the truth is that City would probably have been coasting by that point if the referee, Michael Oliver, had not turned down three separate penalties, at least two of which could be accurately described as certainties.

   • 1824, Walter Savage Landor, Imaginary Conversations Volume 1

     Certainties are uninteresting and sating.

Derived terms

• certainty equivalent
• of a certainty

Related terms

• certain

Translations

Further reading

• certainty on Wikipedia.Wikipedia