de·fea·ture I. \də̇, dē+\noun (-s) Etymology: in sense 1, probably from de- + feature; in sense 2, from defeat (I) + -ure 1.archaic: disfigurement < careful hours … have written strange defeatures on my face — Shakespeare > 2obsolete: defeat II. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) : disfigure, deface