branitelj

1. Croat. defender
   Branitelji grada nisu se predali. — The defenders of the city did not surrender.
   On je branitelj naslova iz prošle godine. — He is the defending champion from last year.
2. Croat. (in court) defence counsel; defence lawyer
   Njegov branitelj je uložio žalbu. — His defence lawyer filed an appeal.
3. Croat. (in Croatia) veteran of the Croatian War of Independence
   Moj otac je branitelj. — My father is a war veteran.

In Serbia the word is branilac; a war veteran is called borac or veteran.