characteristic

[kar-ik-tuh-ris-tik]

adjective

1. Also characteristical. 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.

   Synonyms: peculiar, special

noun

1. a distinguishing feature or quality.

   Generosity is his chief characteristic.

   Synonyms: trait, property, attribute

2. Mathematics.

   1. the integral part of a common logarithm.

   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.

characteristic

/ ˌkærɪktəˈrɪstɪk /

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 number Compare mantissa

      the characteristic of 2.4771 is 2

   2. another name for exponent, used esp in number representation in computing

adjective

1. indicative of a distinctive quality, etc; typical

characteristic

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.

2. Compare mantissa

Other Word Forms

• characteristically adverb
• noncharacteristic adjective
• noncharacteristically adverb
• quasi-characteristic adjective
• quasi-characteristically adverb
• uncharacteristic adjective
• uncharacteristically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of characteristic¹

First recorded in 1655–65; from Greek charaktēristikós ( character, -istic )

Synonym Study

See feature.

Example Sentences

"I would say that Oscar's weekend has been a characteristic weekend for Oscar because we have seen the characteristic of building up through the weekend in practice, cashing in the learning," Stella said.

From BBC

The software enables law enforcement and government analysts to connect vast, disparate datasets, build intelligence profiles and search for individuals based on characteristics as granular as a tattoo or an immigration status.

From Salon

Although he said it wasn't possible to definitively identify the munitions used, the apparent physical characteristics and pattern of flight "suggest a 'multi-purpose' tank gun projectile, such as the Israeli M339 model".

From BBC

“Agencies that unlawfully use protected characteristics as a factor in employment and hiring risk serious legal consequences.”

From Los Angeles Times

When the scientists looked at what prefire forest characteristics resulted in severe fire, they found that dense groups of evenly spaced trees were largely to blame.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aspect 
• attribute 
• component 
• essence 
• flavor 
• nature 
• peculiarity 
• personality 
• quality 
• style 
• symptom 
• temperament 
• tendency 
• tone 
• virtue