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uncharacteristic

[kar-ik-tuh-ris-tik] Origin

char·ac·ter·is·tic

[kar-ik-tuh-ris-tik]
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.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Uncharacteristic is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

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

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
EXPAND
un·char·ac·ter·is·tic, adjective
un·char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
COLLAPSE


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

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
uncharacteristic (ˌʌnkærɪktəˈrɪstɪk)
 
adj
not typical or usual

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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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

uncharacteristic
1753, from un- (1) "not" + characteristic (adj.).
EXPAND

characteristic
both adj. and n. first attested 1660s, from character (q.v.) on model of Gk. kharakteristikos.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
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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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.
Cite This Source
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