Defensor
Bouvier's Law Dictionary and Concise Encyclopedia · John Bouvier; revised by Francis Rawle · 1914
Bouvier's Law Dictionary and Concise Encyclopedia
In Civil Law. A defender; one who takes upon himself the defence of another's cause, assuming his liabilities. An advocate in court. In this sense the word is very general in its signification, including advocatus, patronus, procurator, etc. A tutor or guardian. Calvinus, Lex. In Old English Law. A guardian or protector. Spelman, Gloss. The defendant; a warrantor.
Bracton.
In Canon Law. The advocate of a church. The patron. See Advocatus. An officer having charge of the temporal affairs of the church. Spelman, Gloss. DEFENSOR CIVITATIS (Lat. defender of the state). In Roman Law. An officer whose business it was to transact certain business of the state. Those officers were so called who, like the tribunes of the people at first, were chosen by the people in the large cities and towns, and whose duty it was to watch over the order of the city, protect the people other duties. As will be seen, they had considerable Judicial power. Du Cange; Schmidt, Civ. Law, Introd.
16.