difesa
defense
noun dee-FEH-zah Less Common
Origin: from Latin 'defensa', warded off
Usage Note
Difesa is feminine and spans law (la difesa is the defence counsel), sport (the defensive line), and the military (il Ministero della Difesa). The phrase prendere le difese di qualcuno means to stand up for someone. Its plural is difese.
Examples
"L'avvocato prepara la difesa."
Natural Translation
The lawyer prepares the defense.
Literal Translation
The lawyer prepares the defense.

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