Defective
/dɪˈfɛk.tɪv/noun
Imperfect or faulty; having a flaw or lacking something needed.
Did you know?Defective comes from Latin defectivus, tied to defectus (“failing, desertion”), from deficere, a verb that could mean “fail,” “cease,” or “run short,” which is why the word carries a sense of something power draining away.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
defectivus
“failing, wanting, imperfect”
Latin
Latin
defectus
“a failing, lapse, decay, desertion”
Latin
Latin
deficere
“to fail, desert, run short, come to an end”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*de-
“to take from, divide, or away from”
Modern English
English
defective
“imperfect or faulty, lacking some necessary part or quality”