Nearby Words
Synonyms
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
2.
a distinguishing feature or quality: Generosity is his chief characteristic.
3.
Mathematics.
a.
the integral part of a common logarithm. Compare mantissa.
b.
the exponent of 10 in a number expressed in scientific notation.
c.
the smallest positive integer n such that each element of a given ring added to itself n times results in 0.
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Characteristic
is always a great word to know.
So is integer. Does it mean:
| one of the positive or negative numbers 1, 2, 3, or zero |
| a rational number or the limit of a sequence of rational numbers, as opposed to a complex number |
Related forms
char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
non·char·ac·ter·is·tic, adjective
non·char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
qua·si-char·ac·ter·is·tic, adjective
qua·si-char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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|
Link To characteristic
Collins
World English Dictionary
| characteristic (ˌkærɪktəˈrɪstɪk) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a distinguishing quality, attribute, or trait |
| 2. | maths |
| a. Compare mantissa the integral part of a common logarithm, indicating the order of magnitude of the associated number: the characteristic of 2.4771 is 2 | |
| b. another name for exponent, used esp in number representation in computing | |
| —adj | |
| 3. | indicative of a distinctive quality, etc; typical |
| character'istically | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
characteristic
both adj. and n. first attested 1660s, from character (q.v.) on model of Gk. kharakteristikos.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
characteristic char·ac·ter·is·tic (kār'ək-tə-rĭs'tĭk)
n.
See character.
char'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.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
characteristic  (kār'ək-tə-rĭs'tĭk) Pronunciation Key
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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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