Defect
Pronunciation
- noun enPR: dÄ“'fÄ•kt, IPA: /ˈdiËfÉ›kt/
- verb enPR: dÄfÄ•kt', IPA: /dɪˈfÉ›kt/
Origin
From Middle French defaicte, from Latin defectus ("a failure, lack"), from deficere ("to fail, lack, literally 'undo'"), from past participle defectus, from de- ("priv.") + facere ("to do").
Full definition of defect
Noun
defect
(plural defects)- A fault or malfunction.a defect in the ear or eye; a defect in timber or iron; a defect of memory or judgment
- MacaulayAmong boys little tenderness is shown to personal defects.
- The quantity or amount by which anything falls short.
- DaviesErrors have been corrected, and defects supplied.
- (math) A part by which a figure or quantity is wanting or deficient.
Synonyms
Related terms
Verb
- (intransitive) To abandon or turn against; to cease or change one's loyalty, especially from a military organisation or political party.
- 2013 May 23, Sarah Lyall, "British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party," New York Times (retrieved 29 May 2013)Capitalizing on the restive mood, Mr. Farage, the U.K. Independence Party leader, took out an advertisement in The Daily Telegraph this week inviting unhappy Tories to defect. In it Mr. Farage sniped that the Cameron government — made up disproportionately of career politicians who graduated from Eton and Oxbridge — was “run by a bunch of college kids, none of whom have ever had a proper job in their lives.â€