Fend

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Middle English (in the sense ‘defend’): shortening of defend. Compare with fence and fencible.

wiktionary

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From Middle English fenden(“defend, fight, prevent”), shortening of defenden(“defend”), from Old French deffendre (Modern French défendre), from Latin dēfendō(“to ward off”), from dē- +‎ *fendō(“hit, thrust”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen-(“strike, kill”).

From Middle English fēnd, feond, from Old English fēond(“adversary, foe, enemy, fiend, devil, Satan”), from Proto-Germanic *fijandz, present participle of *fijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁-(“to hate”). More at fiend.

etymonline

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fend (v.)

c. 1300, "defend, guard; protect; put up a fight; excuse or justify; forbid, bar," shortening of defend. From mid-14c. as "make a defense" and (usually with off (adv.)) "ward off, beat off, keep at a distance." Developed a meaning "make provision, give care" in Scottish English (16c.); hence to fend for oneself (1620s) "see to one's own defense." Related: Fended; fending.