different between deficiency vs defective

English

Etymology

From deficit +? -ency. Compare Latin d?ficientia.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: d?f??sh?ns?, IPA^(key): /d??f???nsi/

Noun

deficiency (countable and uncountable, plural deficiencies)

1. (uncountable) Inadequacy or incompleteness.
2. (countable) An insufficiency, especially of something essential to health.
3. (geometry) The amount by which the number of double points on a curve is short of the maximum for curves of the same degree.
4. (geometry) The codimension of a linear system in the corresponding complete linear system.

Antonyms

• sufficiency
• excess

Translations

Further reading

• deficiency on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

English

Etymology

From Middle French défectif, from Late Latin defectivus.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /d??f?kt?v/
• Rhymes: -?kt?v

Adjective

defective (comparative more defective, superlative most defective)

1. Having one or more defects.

   Synonym: faulty

   Antonyms: complete, perfect
2. (grammar, of a lexeme, especially a verb) Lacking some forms; e.g., having only one tense or being usable only in the third person.
3. (Arabic grammar, of a verb) Having a root whose final consonant is weak (?, ?, or ?).
4. (Hebrew orthography) Spelled without matres lectionis, for example ??? (ómets, “courage”) as opposed to the plene spelling ???? where the letter vav ??? indicates the vowel o.

   Antonym: plene

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "defective" is often applied: merchandise, goods, part, component, product, equipment, gene, unit, construction, design, drug, memory, wiring, machine, device, instrument, hardware, software, vehicle.

Related terms

Translations

Noun

defective (plural defectives)

1. A person or thing considered to be defective.

See also

• Wikipedia article on defective verbs

References

Interlingua

Adjective

defective (comparative plus defective, superlative le plus defective)

1. defective (having defects)