trait

[treyt, trey]

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.

trait

/ treɪ, treɪt /

noun

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

2. rare,  a touch or stroke

trait

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of trait¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of trait¹

C16: from French, from Old French: a pulling, from Latin tractus , from trahere to drag

Example Sentences

Maggie’s desires are hazier — her defining personality trait is a lack of personality.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Scientists are not sure what causes MND, but it is likely to be a combination of the genes - or biological traits - you get from your parents when you are born, and other lifestyle factors.

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History was made, and the Free Speech Movement born through the most American of traits — courage, passion and the invincibility of youth.

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It is a spectrum, meaning it includes a wide range of traits or characteristics which vary from person to person.

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But by the 1980s, much chimp behavior was being interpreted in ways that would have been labeled anthropomorphism — ascribing human traits to non-human entities — decades earlier.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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