Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

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.

Source : WordNet®

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 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" [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}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

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)