Dictionary

defect en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• dē'fĕkt
• /ˈdiːfɛkt/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin de- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti Proto-Italic *θakjō Proto-Italic *fakjō Latin facio Latin dēficiō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin dēfectusbor. English defect Borrowed from Latin defectus (“a failure, lack”), from deficere (“to fail, lack, literally 'undo'”), from past participle defectus, from de- (“of, from”) + facere (“to do”).

Meanings

1. A fault or malfunction.
   • But ever since the concept of "hamartia" recurred through Aristotle's Poetics, in an attempt to describe man's ingrained iniquity, our impulse has been to identify a telling defect in those brought suddenly and dramatically low. 2014 October 21, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years – sport afforded no protection against his tragic fallibilities”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport):
   • a defect in the ear or eye; a defect in timber or iron; a defect of memory or judgment
   • Among boys little tenderness is shown to personal defects. 1856 February, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “Oliver Goldsmith”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, new edition, London: Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer, published 1871, →OCLC:
   • Another major defect of the current literature dealing with the nomenclature of hybrid forms of English is the scant attention paid to the question of frequency. 2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 4:
2. The quantity or amount by which anything falls short.
   • and the indefatigable application with which they have supplied the defects of early culture. 1824, Lydia Sigourney, Sketch of Connecticut:
3. A part by which a figure or quantity is wanting or deficient.

Forms

Deriveds

CHILD syndrome · organic defect · planar defect · re-defect · Frenkel defect · renal dysplasia-limb defects syndrome · defect of one's qualities · mass defect · microdefect · Schottky defect · crystallographic defect · birth defect · defectless · defectious · defectology · volume defect · congenital heart defect · defectible · title defect · angular defect · bulk defect · stereodefect · line defect · point defect

Hypernyms

quirk · trouble · problem · issue

Hyponyms

taint · glitch · weak spot · bug · wem · crack · scratch · blemish · dent · stain

Relateds

flawless · deficiency · deficient · defective · defeat · deficit · error

Synonyms

sin · shortcoming · flaw · peccadillo · blot · deficiency · fault · inadequacy · imperfection · defect · drawback

Translations (99)

de Defekt (fault or malfunction) · be га́на (fault or malfunction) · vi lỗi (fault or malfunction) · sip སྐྱོན (fault or malfunction) · bg повре́да (fault or malfunction) · ru изъя́н (fault or malfunction) · te లోపం (fault or malfunction) · cmn 弱點 /弱点 (fault or malfunction) · bcl kakundian (fault or malfunction) · de Fehler (fault or malfunction) · yi חסרון (fault or malfunction) · eu akats (fault or malfunction) · ar خَلَل (fault or malfunction) · cs porucha (fault or malfunction) · pl wada (fault or malfunction) · sl napaka (fault or malfunction) · sk porucha (fault or malfunction) · it difetto (fault or malfunction) · he פגם (fault or malfunction) · bg недоста́тък (fault or malfunction) · mi tōrōkiri (fault or malfunction) · nl mankement (fault or malfunction) · nl gebrek (fault or malfunction) · kk ақау (fault or malfunction) · fr défaut (fault or malfunction) · az kəsir (fault or malfunction) · fa عیب (fault or malfunction) · cmn 缺陷 (fault or malfunction) · es falla (fault or malfunction) · izh defekta (fault or malfunction) · grc ἐλάττωμα (fault or malfunction) · th ข้อบกพร่อง (fault or malfunction) · ja 欠陥 (fault or malfunction) · sw kasoro (fault or malfunction) · mk дефект (fault or malfunction) · uk ва́да (fault or malfunction) · la vitium (fault or malfunction) · et defekt (fault or malfunction) · uk ґандж (fault or malfunction) · az qüsur (fault or malfunction) · id cacat (fault or malfunction) · ru дефе́кт (fault or malfunction) · sh недостатак (fault or malfunction) · hu hiányosság (fault or malfunction) · uz nuqson (fault or malfunction) · ja 欠点 (fault or malfunction) · ko 결함 (fault or malfunction) · be дэфе́кт (fault or malfunction) · fa نقص (fault or malfunction) · bg дефе́кт (fault or malfunction) · uk дефе́кт (fault or malfunction) · ota ردت (fault or malfunction) · sl okvara (fault or malfunction) · tr hata (fault or malfunction) · hu hiány (fault or malfunction) · tr eksik (fault or malfunction) · pl usterka (fault or malfunction) · cs vada (fault or malfunction) · cmn 缺點 /缺点 (fault or malfunction) · hi खोट (fault or malfunction) · hi दोष (fault or malfunction) · ny bala (fault or malfunction) · hy արատ (fault or malfunction) · sa रपस् (fault or malfunction) · vi tật (fault or malfunction) · es defecto (fault or malfunction) · cmn 毛病 (fault or malfunction) · ru недоста́ток (fault or malfunction) · sk vada (fault or malfunction) · pl defekt (fault or malfunction) · sk defekt (fault or malfunction) · tr kusur (fault or malfunction) · eo manko (amount by which a thing falls short) · hu rendellenesség (fault or malfunction) · es tacha (fault or malfunction) · hu fogyatékosság (fault or malfunction) · fa عوار (fault or malfunction) · az nöqsan (fault or malfunction) · et viga (fault or malfunction) · es desperfecto (fault or malfunction) · la menda (fault or malfunction) · pt defeito (fault or malfunction) · hu hiba (fault or malfunction) · sh nedostatak (fault or malfunction) · gd cron (fault or malfunction) · ru брак (fault or malfunction) · ar عَيْب (fault or malfunction) · uk хи́ба (fault or malfunction) · eu oker (fault or malfunction) · cs defekt (fault or malfunction) · az naqislik (fault or malfunction) · ar عَوَار (fault or malfunction) · fi vika (fault or malfunction) · cmn 問題 /问题 (fault or malfunction) · el ελάττωμα (fault or malfunction) · ca defecte (fault or malfunction) · cs závada (fault or malfunction) · as খুঁত (fault or malfunction) · sh defekt (fault or malfunction)

defect en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• dĭfĕkt'
• /dɪˈfɛkt/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin de- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti Proto-Italic *θakjō Proto-Italic *fakjō Latin facio Latin dēficiō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin dēfectusbor. English defect Borrowed from Latin defectus (“a failure, lack”), from deficere (“to fail, lack, literally 'undo'”), from past participle defectus, from de- (“of, from”) + facere (“to do”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To abandon or turn against; to cease or change one's loyalty, especially from a military organisation or political party.
   • 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.” 2013 May 23, Sarah Lyall, “British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party”, in New York Times, retrieved 29 May 2013:
2. To desert one's army, to flee from combat.
3. To join the enemy army.
4. To flee one's country and seek asylum.
   • Passing through Thailand, she submitted a handwritten statement agreeing to defect, a requirement for North Korean refugees to be allowed to enter the South. 2015 August 15, Choe Sang-Hun, “A North Korean Defector’s Regret”, in The New York Times, retrieved 20 Sep 2015:

Forms

Deriveds

nondefecting · defection · defector · redefect

Translations (73)

it disertare (to desert; to flee combat) · cmn 叛變 /叛变 (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · hu megszökik (to desert; to flee combat) · de sich zurückziehen (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · id membelot (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · de überlaufen (to join the enemy) · ja 亡命する (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · cmn 變節 /变节 (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · sh dezertirati (to desert; to flee combat) · hu átáll (to join the enemy) · hu disszidál (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · de desertieren (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · it defezionare (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · ja 脱走する (to desert; to flee combat) · hu elszökik (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · sh prebeći (to join the enemy) · hu otthagy (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · ka დეზერტირობა (to desert; to flee combat) · ko 변절하다 (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · fi karata (to desert; to flee combat) · sh izbjeći (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · nl deserteren (to desert; to flee combat) · he ערק (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · hu dezertál (to desert; to flee combat) · ru дезерти́ровать (to desert; to flee combat) · nl asiel aanvragen (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · bg дезерти́рам (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · fi karata rintamalta (to desert; to flee combat) · mi whakarere (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · fr déserter (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · ka განდგომა (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · eo transfuĝi (to join the enemy) · ja 寝返る (to join the enemy) · fi loikata (to join the enemy) · sl prebegniti (to join the enemy) · hu cserbenhagy (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · fr passer à (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · nl overlopen (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · sl prebegniti (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · sh prebjeći (to join the enemy) · fi loikata (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · de aussteigen (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · nl overlopen (to join the enemy) · pl dezerterować (to join the enemy) · ru изменя́ть (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · pt desertar (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · hu elhagy (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · sh prebjeći (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · el αποσκιρτώ (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · ja 変節する (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · el αυτομολώ (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · la dēscīscō (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · nl overlopen (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · es pasarse (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · fi paeta (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · ru дезерти́ровать (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · es desertar (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · nl deserteren (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · sl dezertirati (to desert; to flee combat) · hu átpártol (to join the enemy) · pl zdezerterować (to join the enemy) · id membelot (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · ru переходи́ть на сто́рону проти́вника (to join the enemy) · sh пребјећи (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · eo ribeli (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · pt trair (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · sh izbeći (to flee one's country and seek asylum) · zh 投敵 /投敌 (to join the enemy) · la transfugiō (to join the enemy) · de desertieren (to desert; to flee combat) · de überlaufen (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · fi loikata (to abandon; to change one's loyalty) · hu elszakad (to abandon; to change one's loyalty)