DEFECTIVE, adjective 1. Wanting either in substance, quantity or quality, or in any thing necessary; imperfect; as a defective limb; defective timber; a defective copy or book; a defective account. defective articulation, in speaking, renders utterance indistinct. 2. Wanting in moral qualities; faulty; blamable; not conforming to rectitude or rule; as a defective character. 3. In grammar, a defective noun is one which wants a whole number or a particular case; an indeclinable noun. 4. A defective verb, is one which wants some of the tenses.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI