defect
n. countablen. a mistake, fault, or flaw in something that means it is not perfect. You use this to describe a problem in how something was made or how it works.
n. a shortcoming, imperfection, or lack of something necessary for completeness or perfection. Often used in technical or manufacturing contexts to describe a physical flaw.
The factory replaced the car because of a mechanical defect.
The quality control team found a minor defect in the screen that caused the colors to look slightly faded.
Engineers identified a structural defect in the bridge's support beams that necessitated an immediate closure of all four lanes for emergency repairs.
Borrowed from Latin defectus (“a failure, lack”), from deficere (“to fail, lack, literally 'undo'”), from past participle defectus, from de- (“of, from”) + facere (“to do”).
Commonly paired with adjectives like 'minor', 'major', 'structural', or 'congenital'.