Why is it called "fencing" if they don't fight with fences?

Because fencing come from latin defensa, to protect, basically de-fence because it's a defensive fighting style and a fence come from the same word as its protecting your property.
For boxing I assume it because you box in your opponent but thats just a guess
Then why is throwing someone out a window called defenstration?
 
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Actually, the name "fencing" comes from when, back in the day, a thief stole this really sweet sword & wanted to sell it. The whole fighting-each-other angle of it came about when two sword thieves ran across each other while trying to sell their ill-gotten gain and decided to fight each other with 'em so they could snag the other guy's sweet loot...
 
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Because fencing used to be a wholesome sport by the peasantry where they would resolve disputes through the act of a 'fencing'.

This would start by both parties entering an arena and beating the other one to unconciousness using a blunt instrument (usually makeshift clubs made of fencing since peasantry werent allowed to have weapons). Said arena was also fenced in.

Now the nobility observing this practice thought itwas a fantastic alternative to land disputes instead of costly wars that lead to famine because peasant levies were often the first to die resulting in a lack of manpower and skill to tend fields effectively. Now nobles being the jannies of this period co-opted this wholesome practice and turned it into gay sword dueling.
 
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