Abwehr

noun

Ab·​wehr ˈäp-ˌver 

: an organization responsible for military intelligence in Germany from 1921 to 1944

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German, literally, "repulsion, fending off, defense (alluding to the organization's counterintelligence function)," noun derivative of abwehren "to fend off, parry, defend," from ab- "down, from" (going back to Old High German ab, aba, preposition) + wehren "to defend, resist," going back to Old High German werien, werren

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

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