3. (Eccl.) The patron of a church; an officer having charge of the temporal affairs of a church.
De*fen"so*ry (?), a. [L. defensorius.] Tending to defend; defensive; as, defensory preparations.
De*fer" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deferred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Deferring.] [OE. differren, F. différer, fr. L. differre to delay, bear different ways; dis- + ferre to bear. See Bear to support, and cf. Differ, Defer to offer.] To put off; to postpone to a future time; to delay the execution of; to delay; to withhold.
Defer the spoil of the city until night.
Shak.
God . . . will not long defer
To vindicate the glory of his name.
Milton.
De*fer", v. i. To put off; to delay to act; to wait.
Pius was able to defer and temporize at leisure.
J. A. Symonds.
De*fer", v. t. [F. déférer to pay deference, to yield, to bring before a judge, fr. L. deferre to bring down; de- + ferre to bear. See Bear to support, and cf. Defer to delay, Delate.] 1. To render or offer. [Obs.]
Worship deferred to the Virgin.
Brevint.