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A.Word.A.Day--fencible

fencible (FEN-si-buhl) adjective

Capable of being defended.

noun

A soldier enlisted in the military for home service only.

[Short for defensable, ultimately from Latin defendere (to defend).]

"Maj. Thomas Skinner of the Royal Engineers, the man credited with designing the defence construction on Signal Hill, was given permission to raise a fencible infantry company consisting of 600 men." Sandy Bierworth; Stepping Back in Time; The Telegram (St. John's NF, Canada); Jul 7, 2003.

"The backbone of the drafted units were English, Welsh and Scottish fencibles, who were volunteers whose terms of service confined them to the British isles." Lawrence James; Warrior Race: A History of the British at War; St. Martin's Press; Feb 2003.

This week's theme: words that aren't what they appear to be.

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