characteristic English · revision 10700

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1646|origins=en character|origins=grc χαρακτηριστικός}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˌkær.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪk/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed from [[character]] and [[-istic]], on the model of Greek [[m|grc|χαρακτηριστικός|tr=kharaktēristikós]],^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) or from French caractéristique or Medieval Latin characteristicus,^(NODE 1998) from Greek kharaktḗr, a stamping tool, a distinctive mark.^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The adjective, indicating the essential quality of something, and the noun, a distinctive trait, are first attested in the 1660s in Etymonline;^(Etymonline) 1646 and 1647 in Merriam-Webster.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''Characteristics'', distinctive traits, is also from the 1660s,^(Etymonline) and ''characteristically'' from the 1640s.^(Etymonline) In mathematics, the characteristic of a logarithm is its whole-number part (1727–51).^(OED 1989)^(AHD) Scientific compounds such as ''characteristic curve'' (1902) and ''characteristic radiation'' (1908) followed.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1640s – characteristically.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1646 – characteristic.^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1660s – a distinctive trait.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1727–51 – in mathematics.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1902 – characteristic curve.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A distinguishing [[feature]], quality or [[trait]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' The whole-number part of a logarithm.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Typical of a particular person or thing; [[distinctive]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[characteristically]]

+ * [[noncharacteristic]]

+ * [[characteristic function]]

+ * [[characteristic polynomial]]

+ * [[characteristic root]]

+ * [[characteristic vector]]

+ * [[characteristic value]]

+ * [[secondary sex characteristic]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[character]]

+ * [[characterize]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}