車輛上的擋板
輪子會把水、泥和碎石往上甩，低處的碰撞也先到這裡。所以「擋的那個」裝在輪子正上方最合理。這一家族是核心畫面裝到會跑的東西上。
noun · B1
The part of a car's body that curves over a wheel and covers the top of it, keeping spray and small knocks away from the rest of the car. American English.
葉子板（車輪上方的車身）
核心畫面
Something put in the way on purpose, so that it takes the knock instead of the thing behind it. The word is built that way: fend means to keep off, and -er names the thing that does it. A fender is never the valuable part — it is the panel, the pad or the low wall that stands between the valuable part and whatever is about to hit it, and it is the part you expect to find scratched.
可以想成一塊「故意擺在中間挨打的東西」。它自己不是重點。重點是它後面那個要保護的東西。字本身就是這樣造的：fend …更多收起
可以想成一塊「故意擺在中間挨打的東西」。它自己不是重點。重點是它後面那個要保護的東西。字本身就是這樣造的：fend 是擋開，-er 是做這件事的那個東西。車上的葉子板、腳踏車的擋泥板、船邊的護舷墊、壁爐前的矮圍欄，形狀差很多，工作卻是同一個：站在中間，替別人挨那一下。所以它身上有刮痕、有泥、有煤灰，都是正常的。From the word’s history
Wiktionary derives fender from the verb fend plus the agent suffix -er, so the modern word still says exactly what the thing does: the fender is the fender-off.
維基詞典把 fender 分析成動詞 fend（擋開）加上表示「做這件事的人或物」的字尾 -er。所以這個字到今天還在說它自己的工作：擋的那個。這條線索也解釋了為什麼車、船、壁爐上完全不同形狀的東西可以共用一個名字。
Wiktionary entry fender, etymology tree 'From fend + -er' (packet source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:412417612)
Three branches
船邊的護墊
船靠碼頭時，整個船身會壓上去。這時「擋的那個」不能鎖死，要能掛、能移動，所以變成軟墊。核心畫面沒變，只是從固定的板子換成掛著的墊子。
noun · B2
A soft pad hung over the side of a boat so the boat is not damaged when it touches a dock, a lock wall or another boat. Most are rubber or plastic tubes; older ones are wood, and old tyres are often used instead.
護舷（船邊的防撞墊）
壁爐前的圍欄
火會往外掉。要擋的不是撞擊，而是滾出來的炭和灰，所以「擋的那個」變成地板上一圈矮牆。它同時也劃出一條讓人不要再靠近的線。
noun · B2
A low metal wall or frame that stands around the front of a fireplace, so that burning wood, hot coal and ash cannot fall out into the room.
壁爐圍欄