defect

[ noun dee-fekt, dih-fekt; verb dih-fekt ]

noun

1. a shortcoming, fault, or imperfection: a defect in a machine.

   a defect in an argument;

   a defect in a machine.

2. lack or want, especially of something essential to perfection or completeness; deficiency: a defect of action.

   a defect of common sense

   a defect of action.

3. Also called crystal defect, Crystallography. a discontinuity in the lattice of a crystal caused by missing or extra atoms or ions, or by dislocations.

verb (used without object)

1. to desert a cause, country, etc., especially in order to adopt another (often followed by from or to ):

   He defected from the U.S.S.R. to the West.

defect

noun

1. a lack of something necessary for completeness or perfection; shortcoming; deficiency
2. an imperfection, failing, or blemish
3. crystallog a local deviation from regularity in the crystal lattice of a solid See also point defect dislocation

verb

1. intr to desert one's country, cause, allegiance, etc, esp in order to join the opposing forces

Derived Forms

• deˈfector, noun

Other Words From

• de·fect·i·ble adjective
• de·fect·i·bil·i·ty [dih-fek-t, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• de·fect·less adjective
• non·de·fect·ing adjective
• pre·de·fect noun
• re·de·fect verb (used without object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of defect¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin dēfectus “failure, weakness,” equivalent to dēfec-, variant stem of dēficere “to run short, fail, weaken” ( deficient ) + -tus suffix of verb action

Word History and Origins

Origin of defect¹

C15: from Latin dēfectus, from dēficere to forsake, fail; see deficient

Synonym Study

Defect, blemish, flaw refer to faults that detract from perfection. Defect is the general word for any kind of shortcoming or imperfection, whether literal or figurative: a defect in eyesight, in a plan. A blemish is usually a defect on a surface, which mars the appearance: a blemish on her cheek. Flaw is applied to a defect in quality, caused by imperfect structure (as in a diamond) or brought about during manufacture (as in texture of cloth, in clearness of glass, etc.).

Example Sentences

About half of the proteins in our cells contain surface cysteines, so this single protein mobility defect can impact many different cellular pathways.

From Science Daily

Treating epilepsy during pregnancy is challenging, as some anti-seizure medications, primarily older drugs such as valproate, are known to cause serious birth defects and cognitive problems in children, including lower IQ and autism spectrum disorders.

From Science Daily

"Rather than treating each disease separately, a better approach would be to develop a therapeutic or supplement that will delay the onset of diseases by preventing the underlying molecular defects that cause them."

From Science Daily

University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers have found a way to simultaneously mitigate three types of defects in parts produced using a prominent additive manufacturing technique called laser powder bed fusion.

From Science Daily

And earlier this year, Sargent's group incorporated liquid crystals to minimize the defects in perovskite films, leading to enhanced device performance.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• abandon
• abscond
• depart
• desert
• pull out
• quit
• reject
• renounce
• revolt
• withdraw