Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Feature

Fea′ture

(?; 135)
,
Noun.
[OE.
feture
form, shape, feature, OF.
faiture
fashion, make, fr. L.
factura
a making, formation, fr.
facere
,
factum
, to make. See
Feat
,
Fact
, and cf.
Facture
.]
1.
The make, form, or outward appearance of a person; the whole turn or style of the body; esp., good appearance.
What needeth it his
feature
to descrive?
Chaucer.
Cheated of
feature
by dissembling nature.
Shakespeare
2.
The make, cast, or appearance of the human face, and especially of any single part of the face; a lineament. (
pl.
) The face, the countenance.
It is for homely
features
to keep home.
Milton.
3.
The cast or structure of anything, or of any part of a thing, as of a landscape, a picture, a treaty, or an essay; any marked peculiarity or characteristic;
as, one of the
features
of the landscape
.
And to her service bind each living creature
Through secret understanding of their
feature
.
Spenser.
4.
A form; a shape.
[R.]
So scented the grim
feature
, and upturned
His nostril wide into the murky air.
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition


Feature

FE'ATURE

,
Noun.
[L. factura, a making, from facio, to make.]
1.
The make, form or cast of any part of the face; any single lineament. We speak of large features or small features. We see a resemblance in the features of a parent and of a child.
2.
The make or cast of the face.
Report the feature of Octavia, her years.
3.
The fashion; the make; the whole turn or cast of the body.
4.
The make or form of any part of the surface of a thing, as of a country or landscape.
5.
Lineament; outline; prominent parts; as the features of a treaty.

Definition 2024


feature

feature

English

Noun

feature (plural features)

  1. (obsolete) One's structure or make-up; form, shape, bodily proportions.
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.ii:
      all the powres of nature, / Which she by art could vse vnto her will, / And to her seruice bind each liuing creature; / Through secret vnderstanding of their feature.
  2. An important or main item.
  3. (media) A long, prominent, article or item in the media, or the department that creates them; frequently used technically to distinguish content from news.
  4. Any of the physical constituents of the face (eyes, nose, etc.).
  5. (computing) A beneficial capability of a piece of software.
    • 2002, Sam Williams, Free as in Freedom:
      The program contained an internal feature, which allowed a user to update display text after each command keystroke.
  6. The cast or structure of anything, or of any part of a thing, as of a landscape, a picture, a treaty, or an essay; any marked peculiarity or characteristic
    one of the features of the landscape.
    • 1911, 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica:
      The most prominent feature of the New England land system was the town grant, which in every case became the territorial basis of a group settlement.
  7. (archaeology) Something discerned from physical evidence that helps define, identify, characterize, and interpret an archeological site.
    • A feature of many Central Texas prehistoric archeological sites is a low spreading pile of stones called a rock midden. Other features at these sites may include small hearths.
  8. (engineering) Characteristic forms or shapes of a part. For example, a hole, boss, slot, cut, chamfer, or fillet.

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:characteristic

Derived terms

Translations

External links

  • feature in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Verb

feature (third-person singular simple present features, present participle featuring, simple past and past participle featured)

  1. To ascribe the greatest importance to something within a certain context.
  2. To star, to contain.
  3. To appear; to make an appearance.
    • 2009 November 27, “Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child has 'best guitar riff'”, in BBC:
      Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, Deep Purple's Smoke On The Water and Layla by Derek and the Dominos also featured in the top five.

Translations