adj. & n.
--adj.
1. having a defect or defects; incomplete, imperfect, faulty.
2 mentally subnormal.
3 (usu. foll. by in) lacking, deficient.
4 Gram. not having all the usual inflections.
--n. a mentally defective person.
Derivatives:
defectively adv. defectiveness n.
Etymology: ME f. OF defectif -ive or LL defectivus (as DEFECT)