fend2t

A Middle English form of fiend. fendacet (fen'dās), n. [OF. fendace, fenda e, a slit, chink, opening, He is the treasurer of the thieves' exchequer, the common fender of all bulkers and shoplifts in the town. Four for a Penny (Harl. Misc., IV. 147). Specifically -(a) A guard placed before an open fire to keep live coals from falling on the floor. It usually consists of an upright fence or parapet of sheet-metal or wire gauze, or a light skeleton of wire, set along the front and sides of a hearth, frequently made ornamental and often having a top bar. Fenders are also made to cover the whole front of a fireplace, and are sometimes fitted with a sort of wicket which can be opened without removing the fender. The basins of bread and milk that she and her husband were in the habit of having for supper stood in the fender before the fire. Mrs. Gaskell , Sylvia's Lovers, xxxii. (b) Naut . , a piece of timber, bundle of rope, or the like, hung over the side of a ve el to prevent it from being injured by rubbing against a pier, another ve el, or other body. (c) A guard-post placed on the edge of a pier. (d) An attachment to a cultivator for preventing the clods of earth turned up by it from injuring the plants. (e) The rubbing-plate of a carriage, placed where the forward wheels turn under the body of the carriage. 2. A kind of terrapin. See red - fender. fender-beam (fen'der-bēm), n. 1. A horizontal fender of wood suspended from a ship's side or floating in a dock.-2. A permanent buffer at the end of a railroad line or siding, designed to prevent cars from running beyond the end of the track.