An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

General: Something or a lack of something that results in incompleteness, inadequacy, or imperfection.
Crystals: A discontinuity in the arrangement of atoms, ions, or electrons.
Cosmology: → cosmic defect.

Etymology (EN): From L. defectus “failure,” from p.p. of deficere “to fail, desert,” from → de- “down, away” + facere “to do,” (cf. Fr. faire, Sp. hacer), from PIE base *dhe- “to put, to do” (cf. Av. dadaiti “he puts,” Skt. dadhati “puts, places,” Hitt. dai- “to place,” Gk. tithenai “to put.”

Etymology (PE): Âk “defect, blemish;” Mid.Pers. ak, âk “evil, harm;” Av. aka- “bad, wicked;” cf. Skt. aka- “pain , trouble.”
Kâst “loss,” from kâstan, kâhidan “to decrease, lessen, diminish,” from Mid.Pers. kâhitan, kâstan, kâhênitan “to decrease, diminish, lessen;” keh “small, little, slender;”
Av. kasu- “small, little;” Proto-Iranian *kas- “to be small, diminish, lessen.”