de-

The driving off or depletion of animal life in a geographical area or areas: Defaunation is considered to be one of the world's most significant global changes, on par with environmental changes like global warming, deforestation, and shifts in the nitrogen cycles.

Defaunation, or animal impoverishment, is usually missing from the analyses of tropical forest conservation that results from human activities which include deforestation and the loss of the fauna, particularly the medium and large animals that are the most vulnerable, because of hunting or habitat reduction or fragmentation of forests.

Radiographic examination of the act of defecation of a radiopaque stool.

1. The act of a conscious withdrawal of an allegiance to go in a new direction of support: Against the tradition of her family, Jane decided to vote as a conservative instead of as a liberal in the election and her family didn’t understand this defection.
2. A failure in completing one's objective: Suddenly Tim was overwhelmed by a sudden defection of courage to swim across the English Channel. © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

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1. A reference to something that is faulty, broken, or imperfect: Grace said, “Please don’t use the coffee machine because it is defective!”

Jim's car had had defective brakes, so he had them replaced.

2. Pertaining to an incomplete, lacking, or inadequate condition: Somehow over the years the once good relationships between Caron's two sons turned out to be very defective because they had so many misunderstandings and arguments which they could not resolve. © ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

To deprive someone of being a female.

British spelling of defense: The act of protecting someone or something against attack or injury.

British spelling of defenseless.

Primarily a British spelling of defenselessly.