defense purpose
1
4.8
- noun
- /dɪˈfɛns ˈpɜr.pəs/
- Formal
:
propósito de defensa
- The Dique do Toror is an artificially constructed lake that is thought to have been built by the Dutch for defense purposes during their occupation of Bahia in the seventeenth century.
Examples
-
The military conducted exercises to improve readiness for various defense purposes.
-
They implemented new policies for data protection that enhance capabilities for defense purposes.
-
A nuclear weapon or nuclear material that would be used for defense purposes would have an enrichment of over 90 percent.
Blog text (7) -
The Army is working on the deadly pathogens for classified defense purposes.
Academic text (2007) -
Moreover, this idea legitimizes efforts by Israel to monitor supplies entering Gaza and to use force for defense purposes.
Academic text (2015) -
The government allocated funds for research and development with defense purposes in mind.
Antonyms
How Defensive
2
3.2
- Formal
1
4.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a reason related to protecting against attack' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'defense' (protection) with 'purpose' (reason/intended use). There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift and the compositional interpretation follows normal English noun-noun/adj+noun semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand it.
Etymology
The phrase defense purpose comes from the simple idea of making something to protect a place: imagine a town building a wall for defense, with the clear aim, the purpose, to keep people safe. So, defense purpose now means a reason or aim connected to 'protecting' or 'security'.