Defenceman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A player whose main job is to guard their own team's goal and stop attackers from scoring, especially in ice hockey or lacrosse
2. The member of a sports team tasked with blocking opposing forwards and protecting the area in front of the goalkeeper
3. A athlete positioned at the back of a team who prevents the opposition from reaching or shooting at the goal

Etymology: "Defenceman" is a plain compound: the noun "defence" joined to "man," the same suffix found in words like "fireman" or "craftsman." In sports, the term names a player whose job is to guard their own goal and stop the opposing team from scoring, as opposed to forwards who attack. The "defence" part comes from Old French "defense," which traces back to Latin "defensa," the feminine past participle of "defendere," meaning to ward off or protect. The "-man" element is much older. It descends from the Old English "mann," meaning a human being or a person, which in turn goes back through Proto-Germanic to a very ancient root. Over the centuries "-man" became a productive suffix for people who work at, or are associated with, a particular activity, so "defenceman" fits neatly into that pattern.

Synonyms: defenseman, defender, back

Antonyms: forward