defensibilityn.

c1487 J. Skelton tr. Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheca Historica iii. 142 Bactara.., farre passyng all othere [cittees] as well in hugenes and quantitie as in defensibilitie and strength.

1771 J. Whitaker Hist. Manch. I. v. 154 Within the compass of this curve..must have been the station of the Romans. This its vicinity to the river.., this the remarkable defensibility of its site, all concur to evince.

1787 C. Hamilton Hist. Relation Rohilla Afgans 283 The peculiar compactness and defensibility of his [dominion].

1846 G. Grote Hist. Greece II. ii. ii. 344 The extreme defensibility of its frontier.

1886 Harper's Mag. June 619/1 As to the question of defensibility, it should always be recognised that a navy-yard is a point of weakness.

1922 Amer. Jrnl. Semitic Langs. & Lit. 38 221 To..the modern tourist the defensibility of the hill of Ophel is not apparent.

1996 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 14 Nov. 52/2 As a builder he felt a responsibility to prove the defensibility of the barricades.

2009 B. L. Sterling Do Good Fences make Good Neighbours? v. 180 France needed to continue to improve the defensibility of its frontiers.

1664 J. Owen Vindic. Animadversions Fiat Lux xiv. 366 Cast a fresh dishonour upon Christian Religion by questioning the defensibility of its Principles.

1756 D. Cox Let. from Physician 3 There should be found..many who entertain scruples about the defensibility of the practice.

1774 J. Tucker Relig. Intolerance 26 Let us examine their respective Pretences, and then we shall the better judge of the Rectitude or Defensibility of such Proceedings.

1803 Gaz. U.S. (Philadelphia) 11 Oct. It is a plain renunciation of the defensibility of his cause.

1890 Musical Times 31 140/2 The defensibility of encores varies greatly with the character of the performance.

1932 Bull. Amer. Assoc. University Professors 18 552 Skepticism was..expressed regarding the defensibility of the standard which emphasized higher degrees possessed by members of the faculty as guaranties of efficient teaching.

1974 Studies: Irish Q. Rev. 63 141 The question of the moral defensibility of the assassination remains open and central.

2007 D. Walton Dialog Theory for Crit. Argumentation iii. 106 The defensibility of an argument depends not only on whether its premises hold, but also on the structure of a particular type of argument.