Defective - Etymology, Origin & Meaning (original) (raw)
Origin and history of defective
mid-14c., "having a defect or flaw of any kind, inferior, in bad condition," from Old French défectif (14c.) and directly from Late Latin defectivus "imperfect," from defect-, past-participle stem of deficere "to desert, revolt, fail," from de "down, away" (see de-) + combining form of facere "to do, make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").
[D]efective generally takes the sense of lacking some important or essential quality; deficient, that of lacking in quantity: as defective teeth, timber, character; deficient supplies, means, intellect. The same difference is found between deficiency and defectiveness. [Century Dictionary]
In grammar, "wanting some of the usual forms of declension or conjugation" (late 15c.). Used in the sense of "mentally ill" from 1854 to c. 1935; as a noun, "person wanting in some physical or mental power," by 1869. Related: Defectively; defectiveness.
Entries linking to defective
1580s, "lacking, wanting, incomplete;" c. 1600 "not having a full or adequate supply," from Latin deficientem (nominative deficiens), present participle of deficere "to desert, revolt, fail," from de "down, away" (see de-) + combining form of facere "to do, make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). Compare defective. Related: Deficiently. Blount's "Glossographia" (1656) has conficient (from Latin conficiens) "which finisheth, procureth, or worketh."
active word-forming element in English and in many verbs inherited from French and Latin, from Latin de "down, down from, from, off; concerning" (see de), also used as a prefix in Latin, usually meaning "down, off, away, from among, down from," but also "down to the bottom, totally" hence "completely" (intensive or completive), which is its sense in many English words.
As a Latin prefix it also had the function of undoing or reversing a verb's action, and hence it came to be used as a pure privative — "not, do the opposite of, undo" — which is its primary function as a living prefix in English, as in defrost (1895), defuse (1943), de-escalate (1964), etc. In some cases, a reduced form of dis-.
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[c. 1300, "inadequate, unsatisfactory, worthless; unfortunate;" late 14c., "wicked, evil, vicious; counterfeit;" from 13c. in surnames (William Badde, Petri Badde, Asketinus Baddecheese, Rads Badinteheved). Rare before 1400, and evil was more common until c. 1700 as the ordinary a](/word/bad "c. 1300, "inadequate, unsatisfactory, worthless; unfortunate;" late 14c., "wicked, evil, vicious; counterfeit;" from 13c. in surnames (William Badde, Petri Badde, Asketinus Baddecheese, Rads Badinteheved). Rare before 1400, and evil was more common until c. 1700 as the ordinary a")
[, past participle of manquer "to miss, be lacking" (16c.), from Italian mancare, from manco, from Latin mancus "maimed, defective...Also "defective, spoiled, missing" (1773)....Compare obsolete or dialectal mank "maimed, mutilated, defective" (1510s), which seems to be a nativized form of the French...Modern British slang manky "bad, inferior, defective" (by 1958) might also be from these....](/word/manque ", past participle of manquer "to miss, be lacking" (16c.), from Italian mancare, from manco, from Latin mancus "maimed, defective...Also "defective, spoiled, missing" (1773)....Compare obsolete or dialectal mank "maimed, mutilated, defective" (1510s), which seems to be a nativized form of the French...Modern British slang manky "bad, inferior, defective" (by 1958) might also be from these....")
[pernicious, harmful;" of a text, "erroneous, corrupt," from Anglo-French vicious, Old French vicios "wicked, cunning, underhand; defective..., illegal" (Modern French vicieux), from Latin vitiosus (Medieval Latin vicious) "faulty, full of faults, defective, corrupt...](/word/vicious "pernicious, harmful;" of a text, "erroneous, corrupt," from Anglo-French vicious, Old French vicios "wicked, cunning, underhand; defective..., illegal" (Modern French vicieux), from Latin vitiosus (Medieval Latin vicious) "faulty, full of faults, defective, corrupt...")
[1630s, "state of falling short, a lack or failing;" 1660s, "that in which a person or thing is deficient, inadequacy," from Late Latin deficientia, from deficient-, present-participle stem of deficere "to desert, revolt, fail," from de "down, away" (see de-) + combining form of f](/word/deficiency "1630s, "state of falling short, a lack or failing;" 1660s, "that in which a person or thing is deficient, inadequacy," from Late Latin deficientia, from deficient-, present-participle stem of deficere "to desert, revolt, fail," from de "down, away" (see de-) + combining form of f")
[1580s, "sudden, unceremonious, without notice," a figurative use from Latin abruptus "broken off," also "precipitous, steep" (as a cliff), also "disconnected," past participle of abrumpere "break off," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + rumpere "to break," from a nasalized form](/word/abrupt "1580s, "sudden, unceremonious, without notice," a figurative use from Latin abruptus "broken off," also "precipitous, steep" (as a cliff), also "disconnected," past participle of abrumpere "break off," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + rumpere "to break," from a nasalized form")
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