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definitions

characteristic

[kar-ik-tuh-ris-tik]
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adjective
  1. Also char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal. pertaining to, constituting, or indicating the character or peculiar quality of a person or thing; typical; distinctive: Red and gold are the characteristic colors of autumn.
noun
  1. a distinguishing feature or quality: Generosity is his chief characteristic.
  2. Mathematics.
    1. the integral part of a common logarithm.Compare mantissa.
    2. the exponent of 10 in a number expressed in scientific notation.
    3. the smallest positive integer n such that each element of a given ring added to itself n times results in 0.

Origin of characteristic

From the Greek word charaktēristikós, dating back to 1655–65. See character, -istic
Related formschar·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·char·ac·ter·is·tic, adjectivenon·char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbqua·si-char·ac·ter·is·tic, adjectivequa·si-char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbun·char·ac·ter·is·tic, adjectiveun·char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Synonyms for characteristic

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1. special, peculiar. 2. attribute, property, trait. See feature.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for characteristics

style, essence, tendency, nature, attribute, component, peculiarity, virtue, aspect, temperament, tone, flavor, quality, symptom, personality, streak, bearing, individuality, bent, point

Examples from the Web for characteristics

Contemporary Examples of characteristics

Historical Examples of characteristics

British Dictionary definitions for characteristics

characteristic

noun
  1. a distinguishing quality, attribute, or trait
  2. maths
    1. the integral part of a common logarithm, indicating the order of magnitude of the associated numberthe characteristic of 2.4771 is 2 Compare mantissa
    2. another name for exponent, used esp in number representation in computing
adjective
  1. indicative of a distinctive quality, etc; typical
Derived Formscharacteristically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for characteristics

characteristic

adjective and noun both first attested 1660s, from character + -istic on model of Greek kharakteristikos. Earlier in the adjectival sense was characteristical (1620s). Related: Characteristically (1640s). Characteristics "distinctive traits" also attested from 1660s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
characteristics in Medicine

characteristic

[kăr′ək-tə-rĭs′tĭk]
n.
  1. A distinguishing feature or attribute; character.
  2. A structure or function determined by a gene or genes; trait.
Related formschar′ac•ter•is′tic adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
characteristics in Science

characteristic

[kăr′ək-tə-rĭs′tĭk]
  1. The part of a logarithm to the base 10 that is to the left of the decimal point. For example, if 2.749 is a logarithm, 2 is the characteristic. Compare mantissa.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.