trait

American  

[treyt, trey] / treɪt, treɪ /

noun

1. a distinguishing characteristic or quality, especially of one's personal nature.

   bad traits of character.

   Synonyms:

   property, attribute, mark, peculiarity

2. a pen or pencil stroke.

3. a stroke, touch, or strain, as of some quality.

   a trait of pathos; a trait of ready wit.

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trait British  

/ treɪ, treɪt /

noun

1. a characteristic feature or quality distinguishing a particular person or thing

2. rare a touch or stroke

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trait Scientific  

/ trāt /

1. A genetically determined characteristic or condition. Traits may be physical, such as hair color or leaf shape, or they may be behavioral, such as nesting in birds and burrowing in rodents. Traits typically result from the combined action of several genes, though some traits are expressed by a single gene.

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Etymology

Origin of trait

First recorded in 1470–80; from Middle French: literally, “something drawn,” from Latin tractus; tract ¹

Example Sentences

The study included 144 adults who had moderate trait anxiety and were already taking medication to help manage their symptoms.

From Science Daily

As Lippman puts it, "It's a new window into the evolution of life across eons and a new opportunity to more efficiently engineer or fine-tune crop traits."

From Science Daily

He added: "These pups are growing incredibly fast and are already showing the same high-energy, inquisitive traits as their parents."

From BBC

It’s perhaps what L.A. is best known for, but its other, more infamous traits began to show over time.

From Los Angeles Times

Looking at its daily chart shows some positive traits.

From Barron's

Related Words

• attribute
• character
• feature
• habit
• idiosyncrasy
• manner
• oddity
• peculiarity
• quality
• quirk
• trick
• virtue