Defendant

The person defending or denying; the party against whom relief or recovery is sought in an action or suit. In common usage, this term is applied to the perty put upon his defense, or summoned to wnawera charge or complaint, in any species of actian, civil or criminal, at law or in equity. Strict-ly, however, it does not apply to the person against whom a real action is brought, for in that proceed- {ng the technical usage is to call the parties respectively the “demandant” and the “tenant.”