Syn. — Deficiency; imperfection; blemish. See Fault.

Defect
(De*fect"), v. i. To fail; to become deficient. [Obs.] "Defected honor." Warner.

Defect
(De*fect"), v. t. To injure; to damage. "None can my life defect." [R.] Troubles of Q. Elizabeth

Defectibility
(De*fect`i*bil"i*ty) n. Deficiency; imperfection. [R.] Ld. Digby. Jer. Taylor.

Defectible
(De*fect"i*ble) a. Liable to defect; imperfect. [R.] "A defectible understanding." Jer. Taylor.

Defection
(De*fec"tion) n. [L. defectio: cf. F. défection. See Defect.] Act of abandoning a person or cause to which one is bound by allegiance or duty, or to which one has attached himself; desertion; failure in duty; a falling away; apostasy; backsliding. "Defection and falling away from God." Sir W. Raleigh.

The general defection of the whole realm.
Sir J. Davies.

Defectionist
(De*fec"tion*ist), n. One who advocates or encourages defection.

Defectious
(De*fec"tious) a. Having defects; imperfect. [Obs.] "Some one defectious piece." Sir P. Sidney.

Defective
(De*fect"ive) a. [L. defectivus: cf. F. défectif. See Defect.]

1. Wanting in something; incomplete; lacking a part; deficient; imperfect; faulty; — applied either to natural or moral qualities; as, a defective limb; defective timber; a defective copy or account; a defective character; defective rules.

2. (Gram.) Lacking some of the usual forms of declension or conjugation; as, a defective noun or verb.De*fect"ive*ly, adv.De*fect"ive*ness, n.

Defectuosity
(De*fec`tu*os"i*ty) n. [Cf. F. défectuosité.] Great imperfection. [Obs.] W. Montagu.

Defectuous
(De*fec"tu*ous) a. [Cf. F. défectueux.] Full of defects; imperfect. [Obs.] Barrow.

Defedation
(Def`e*da"tion) n. [L. defoedare, defoedatum, to defile; de- + foedare to foul, foedus foul.] The act of making foul; pollution. [Obs.]

Defence
(De*fence") n. & v. t. See Defense.

Defend
(De*fend") v. t. [imp. & p. p. Defended; p. pr. & vb. n. Defending.] [F. défendre, L. defendere; de- + fendere (only in comp.) to strike; perh. akin to Gr. qei`nein to strike, and E. dint. Cf. Dint, Defense, Fend.]

1. To ward or fend off; to drive back or away; to repel. [A Latinism & Obs.]

Th' other strove for to defend
The force of Vulcan with his might and main.
Spenser.

2. To prohibit; to forbid. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Which God defend that I should wring from him.
Shak.

3. To repel danger or harm from; to protect; to secure against attack; to maintain against force or argument; to uphold; to guard; as, to defend a town; to defend a cause; to defend character; to defend the absent; —


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