Definitions for featureˈfi tʃər

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

fea•ture^*ˈfi tʃər(n.; v.; adj.)-tured, -tur•ing

(n.)a prominent or conspicuous part or characteristic:
The best feature of the house is the sun porch.
something offered as a special or main attraction.
Also called fea′ture film′. the main motion picture in a movie program.
Category: Showbiz
any part of the face, as the nose, chin, or eyes.
features, the face; countenance.
the form or cast of the face:
delicate of feature.
a column, cartoon, etc., appearing regularly in a newspaper or magazine.
Category: Journalism
Ref: feature story.
(v.t.)to make a feature of; give prominence to.
Category: Common Vocabulary, Showbiz
to have or present (a performer) in a lead role or a prominent supporting role.
Category: Showbiz
to be a feature or distinctive mark of.
to delineate the main characteristics of; depict.
Informal.to conceive of; imagine; fancy.
Category: Informal
Chiefly Dial. to resemble in features; favor.
Category: Status (usage)
(v.i.)to play a major part.
Category: Common Vocabulary
(adj.)being or offered as a highlight; featured:
the feature attraction at the fair.

^* Syn: feature , characteristic , peculiarity refer to a distinctive trait of an individual or of a class. feature suggests an outstanding or marked property that attracts attention: A large art exhibit was a feature of the convention. characteristic means a distinguishing mark or quality always associated in one's mind with a particular person or thing: A fine sense of humor is one of his characteristics. peculiarity means a distinctive and often unusual property exclusive to one individual, group, or thing: A blue-black tongue is a peculiarity of the chow chow.

Origin of feature:

1350–1400; ME feture < AF, MF faiture < L factūra making. See fact

fea′ture•less(adj.)

Princeton's WordNet

feature, characteristic(noun)
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
"the map showed roads and other features"; "generosity is one of his best characteristics"
feature, lineament(noun)
the characteristic parts of a person's face: eyes and nose and mouth and chin
"an expression of pleasure crossed his features"; "his lineaments were very regular"
feature, feature film(noun)
the principal (full-length) film in a program at a movie theater
"the feature tonight is `Casablanca'"
feature, feature article(noun)
a special or prominent article in a newspaper or magazine
"they ran a feature on retirement planning"
feature of speech, feature(noun)
(linguistics) a distinctive characteristic of a linguistic unit that serves to distinguish it from other units of the same kind
feature(verb)
an article of merchandise that is displayed or advertised more than other articles
have, feature(verb)
have as a feature
"This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France"
sport, feature, boast(verb)
wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner
"she was sporting a new hat"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

feature(noun)ˈfi tʃər
one of the distinct parts of sth that gives it its character
the software's search feature; mountains and other geographical features
featureˈfi tʃər
the parts of your face
her delicate features
featureˈfi tʃər
an important article in a newspaper, magazine, etc. or an important part of a television show
a special feature on crime on the local news
feature(verb)ˈfi tʃər
to have as a special feature
a soundtrack featuring 10 great jazz artists

Wiktionary

feature(Noun)
One's structure or make-up; form, shape, bodily proportions.
feature(Noun)
An important or main item.
feature(Noun)
A long, prominent, article or item in the media, or the department that creates them; frequently used technically to distinguish content from news.
feature(Noun)
Any of the physical constituents of the face (eyes, nose, etc.).
feature(Noun)
A beneficial capability of a piece of software.
feature(Noun)
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.
feature(Noun)
Something discerned from physical evidence that helps define, identify, characterize, and interpret an archeological site.
feature(Noun)
Characteristic forms or shapes of a part. For example, a hole, boss, slot, cut, chamfer, or fillet.
feature(Verb)
To ascribe the greatest importance to something within a certain context.
feature(Verb)
To star, to contain.
feature(Verb)
to appear; to make an appearance.

Origin: From feture, from faiture, from factura.

Webster Dictionary

Feature(noun)
the make, form, or outward appearance of a person; the whole turn or style of the body; esp., good appearance
Feature(noun)
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
Feature(noun)
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
Feature(noun)
a form; a shape

The New Hacker's Dictionary

feature
1. [common] A good property or behavior (as of a program). Whether it was intended or not is immaterial. 2. [common] An intended property or behavior (as of a program). Whether it is good or not is immaterial (but if bad, it is also a misfeature). 3. A surprising property or behavior; in particular, one that is purposely inconsistent because it works better that way — such an inconsistency is therefore a feature and not a bug. This kind of feature is sometimes called a miswart; see that entry for a classic example. 4. A property or behavior that is gratuitous or unnecessary, though perhaps also impressive or cute. For example, one feature of Common LISP's format function is the ability to print numbers in two different Roman-numeral formats (see bells whistles and gongs). 5. A property or behavior that was put in to help someone else but that happens to be in your way. 6. [common] A bug that has been documented. To call something a feature sometimes means the author of the program did not consider the particular case, and that the program responded in a way that was unexpected but not strictly incorrect. A standard joke is that a bug can be turned into a feature simply by documenting it (then theoretically no one can complain about it because it's in the manual), or even by simply declaring it to be good. “That's not a bug, that's a feature!” is a common catchphrase. See also feetch feetch, creeping featurism, wart, green lightning.The relationship among bugs, features, misfeatures, warts, and miswarts might be clarified by the following hypothetical exchange between two hackers on an airliner:A: “This seat doesn't recline.”B: “That's not a bug, that's a feature. There is an emergency exit door built around the window behind you, and the route has to be kept clear.”A: “Oh. Then it's a misfeature; they should have increased the spacing between rows here.”B: “Yes. But if they'd increased spacing in only one section it would have been a wart — they would've had to make nonstandard-length ceiling panels to fit over the displaced seats.”A: “A miswart, actually. If they increased spacing throughout they'd lose several rows and a chunk out of the profit margin. So unequal spacing would actually be the Right Thing.”B: “Indeed.”Undocumented feature is a common, allegedly humorous euphemism for a bug. There's a related joke that is sometimes referred to as the “one-question geek test”. You say to someone “I saw a Volkswagen Beetle today with a vanity license plate that read FEATURE”. If he/she laughs, he/she is a geek.