characteristic

[kar-ik-tuh-ris-tik] /ˌkær ɪk təˈrɪs tɪk/

adjective

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.

noun

a distinguishing feature or quality:

Generosity is his chief characteristic.

Mathematics.

the integral part of a common logarithm.
Compare mantissa.
the exponent of 10 in a number expressed in scientific notation.
the smallest positive integer n such that each element of a given ring added to itself n times results in 0.

Origin

1655-65; < Greek charaktēristikós. See character, -istic

Related forms

characteristically, adverb

noncharacteristic, adjective

noncharacteristically, adverb

quasi-characteristic, adjective

quasi-characteristically, adverb

uncharacteristic, adjective

uncharacteristically, adverb

Synonyms

1. special, peculiar. 2. attribute, property, trait. See feature.

Examples from the web for characteristic

Their essential feature is that they share one characteristic with private property and one with public goods.
Contagious laughter is a distinguishing characteristic of childhood.
Risotto's characteristic creaminess and chewiness come from the rice itself, and risotto rice is no ordinary rice.
Mice respond to this discomfort with characteristic stretching movements.
Neither proteins nor sugars have a characteristic smell of their own.
The defining characteristic is pervasive instability in the patient's life, especially in relationships.
And that-the inheritance of an acquired characteristic-is quite startling.
Its outer layer is parchmentlike, which is characteristic of the ova of modern egg-burying reptiles such as turtles.
But acquiring a language is surely a skill, rather than a characteristic of the sort developmental psychologists hunt for.
Illness and old age both bring characteristic odours of their own, and neither state makes people more attractive.

British Dictionary definitions for characteristic

characteristic

/ˌkærɪktəˈrɪstɪk/

noun

a distinguishing quality, attribute, or trait

(maths)

the integral part of a common logarithm, indicating the order of magnitude of the associated number: the characteristic of 2.4771 is 2 Compare mantissa
another name for exponent, used esp in number representation in computing

adjective

indicative of a distinctive quality, etc; typical

Derived Forms

characteristically, adverb

Word Origin and History for 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.

characteristic in Medicine

characteristic char·ac·ter·is·tic (kār'ək-tə-rĭs'tĭk)
n.
See character.

char'ac·ter·is'tic adj.

characteristic in Science

characteristic

(kār'ək-tə-rĭs'tĭk)
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.