The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Fend \Fend\, n.
   A fiend. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Fend \Fend\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fended; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Fending.] [Abbrev. fr. defend.]
   To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward
   off; to shut out; -- often with off; as, to fend off blows.
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         With fern beneath to fend the bitter cold. --Dryden.
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   To fend off a boat or To fend off a vessel (Naut.), to
      prevent its running against anything with too much
      violence.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Fend \Fend\, v. i.
   To act on the defensive, or in opposition; to resist; to
   parry; to shift off.
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         The dexterous management of terms, and being able to
         fend . . . with them, passes for a great part of
         learning.                                --Locke.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

fend
    v 1: try to manage without help; "The youngsters had to fend for
         themselves after their parents died"
    2: withstand the force of something; "The trees resisted her";
       "stand the test of time"; "The mountain climbers had to fend
       against the ice and snow" [syn: resist, stand, fend]