distinctive feature

noun Linguistics.
1.
a feature of the sound system of a language that serves as the crucial distinguishing mark between two phonemes, as the distinctive feature of voicing, which distinguishes b from p in English, or nasality, which distinguishes m from b and p.
2.
any of a set of phonetic properties, as coronal, nasal, or strident, serving as a basic unit of phonological analysis by which the sounds that are significant in a language can be characterized and distinguished from one another.
3.
a component or phonetic feature characterizing a phoneme.
Origin:
1925–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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WordNet
distinctive feature

noun
an odd or unusual characteristic [syn: peculiarity] 
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Cite This Source
00:10
Distinctive feature is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Example sentences
The authors wrote that the distinctive feature of the human faculty of
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Its distinctive feature is the way it organises the replies.
The distinctive feature of the poem is the beauty and vigour with which martial
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The hotel logo incorporates swan boats, a distinctive feature of the park when
  the hotel was constructed.
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