feature-film

The compound term 'feature film' emerged in the early 20th century to distinguish the primary, narrative-driven movie in a cinema program from shorter supporting films like newsreels or cartoons. Its first element, 'feature', carries the sense of a principal or specially presented item, a meaning that evolved from its Latin root 'facere' (to make) through the idea of a distinctive 'formation' or 'make'. The second element, 'film', originally denoting a thin layer or membrane, was applied to the celluloid strip used for recording images and, by metonymy, to the motion picture itself. Thus, a 'feature film' literally signifies the 'main formation' or 'principal presentation' on film, highlighting its status as the central cinematic work.

Structure: feature (to make, to form) + film (thin layer) - feature: From Anglo-French 'feture', from Latin 'factura' (a making, formation), from 'facere' (to make, do). Functions as a noun used attributively. - film: From Old English 'filmen' (membrane, thin skin), from Proto-Germanic. Functions as a noun.