feature

feature
\ \ [14] Feature comes ultimately from Latin factūra, a derivative of the verb faceredo, make’ which meant literally ‘making, formation’. Elements of this original sense remained when the word reached English via Old French faiture – when John Dymmok wrote in 1600 of ‘horses of a fine feature’, for example, he was referring to their shape or general conformation – but already a semantic narrowing down to the ‘way in which the face is shaped’ had taken place. This meaning was then distributed, as it were, to the individual components of the face, and hence (in the 17th century) to any distinctive or characteristic part.
\ \ Cf.DIFFICULT, FACT, FACTORY, FASHION, FEASIBLE, FEAT

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Feature — Feature …   Deutsch Wörterbuch

  • feature — Ⅰ. feature UK US /ˈfiːtʃər/ noun [C] ► something that makes a product, machine, or system different, and usually better, than others of a similar type: »The new smart phone has all the features of existing models, plus added extras. »innovative… …   Financial and business terms

  • Feature — Fea ture (?; 135), n. [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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Feature — Sn Dokumentarbericht, speziell zusammengesetzte Sendung per. Wortschatz fach. (20. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus am. e. feature, dieses etwa im Sinn von Zusammenstellung aus me. feture Aufmachung , aus afrz. faiture, aus l. factūra f., zu l.… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • feature — [n1] characteristic affection, angle, article, aspect, attribute, character, component, constituent, detail, differential, earmark*, element, facet, factor, gag*, gimmick, hallmark, idiosyncrasy, individuality, ingredient, integrant, item, mark,… …   New thesaurus

  • feature — ► NOUN 1) a distinctive attribute or aspect. 2) a part of the face, such as the mouth, making a significant contribution to its overall appearance. 3) a newspaper or magazine article or a broadcast programme devoted to a particular topic. 4)… …   English terms dictionary

  • feature — verb. Fowler (1926) warned against the extension of the meaning ‘to give special prominence to’ which he identified as originating in cinema announcements. He cited an unattributed example of 1924: Boys school and college outfits, men s footwear… …   Modern English usage

  • feature — [fē′chər] n. [ME feture < OFr faiture < L factura, a making, formation < pp. of facere, to make, DO1] 1. a) Archaic the make, shape, form, or appearance of a person or thing b) Obs. attractive appearance; physical beauty 2 …   English World dictionary

  • feature in — [phrasal verb] feature in (something) : to be a part of (something) Health care features prominently in the new bill. a character who features in many of his novels • • • Main Entry: ↑feature …   Useful english dictionary

  • Feature — Feature,das:⇨Hörspiel,Dokumentarbericht Feature 1.Musik:Hörbild,Hörfolge,Hörspiel 2.Bericht,Reportage,Dokumentarbericht,Fernsehbericht …   Das Wörterbuch der Synonyme

  • Feature — »(für Funk oder Fernsehen aufgemachter) Dokumentarbericht«: Das Fremdwort wurde im 20. Jh. aus gleichbed. engl. feature (mengl. feture), eigentlich »Aussehen, charakteristischer Grundzug« entlehnt, das über afrz. faiture auf lat. factura »das… …   Das Herkunftswörterbuch

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