4 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
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
whole turn or style of the body; esp., good appearance.
What needeth it his feature to descrive? --Chaucer.
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature. --Shak.
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.
From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]:
feature
n 1: a prominent aspect of something: "the map showed roads and
other features"; "generosity is one of his best
characteristics" [syn: {characteristic}]
2: the characteristics 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" [syn: {lineament}]
3: the principal (full-length) film in a program at a movie
theater; "the feature tonight is `Casablanca'" [syn: {feature
film}]
4: a special or prominent article in a newspaper or magazine;
"they ran a feature on retirement planning" [syn: {feature
article}]
5: an article of merchandise that is displayed or advertised
more than other articles
v 1: have as a feature; "This restaurant features the most famous
chefs in France" [syn: {have}] [ant: {miss}]
2: wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner; "she was
sporting a new hat" [syn: {sport}, {boast}]
From Jargon File (4.2.3, 23 NOV 2000) [jargon]:
feature n. 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 (see {computer geek}, sense 2).
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]:
feature
1. A good property or behaviour (as of a program).
Whether it was intended or not is immaterial.
2. An intended property or behaviour (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 behaviour; 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}.
4. A property or behaviour 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 behaviour that was put in to help someone
else but that happens to be in your way
6. 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 catch-phrase. Apparently there is a
Volkswagen Beetle in San Francisco whose license plate reads
"FEATURE".
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 euphemism for a {bug}.
7. An attribute or function of a {class} in {Eiffel}.
[{Jargon File}]
(1995-10-22)
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