character /karˈək-tər (Spenser, Shakespeare, etc -akˈ)/

1. The aggregate of peculiar qualities which constitutes personal or national individuality
2. Moral qualities collectively
3. The reputation of possessing these
4. Any essential or distinguishing feature
5. A quality
6. Nature
7. Personal appearance (obsolete)
8. A letter, sign, figure, stamp or distinctive mark
9. A mark of any kind, a symbol in writing, etc
10. Writing generally, handwriting
11. A secret cipher (obsolete)
12. One of a set of symbols, eg letters of the alphabet, numbers, punctuation marks, that can be arranged in groups to represent data for processing (computing)
13. The variant or abnormality in structure, appearance or function in any organism that is attributed to the presence of a specific gene or set of genes (genetics)
14. A formal statement of the qualities of a person who has been in one's service or employment, a testimonial
15. Position, rank or status, or a person who has filled it
16. A person, esp one noted for eccentricity or distinctive personality
17. A personality as created in a play or novel (Shakespeare charˈact) or appearing in history
18. A literary genre, consisting in a description in prose or verse of a human type, or of a place or object on that model, a dominant form of literature in the 17c under the influence of Theophrastus and the theory of humours
19. A person (slang)

1. To engrave, imprint or write
2. To represent, delineate or describe

charˈacterful adjective

charˈacterism noun

1. A characteristic
2. A characterization

characterisˈtic noun

1. That which marks or constitutes the character
2. The integral part of a logarithm (mathematics)

characterisˈtic or characterisˈtical adjective

characterisˈtically adverb

characterīzāˈtion or characterīsāˈtion noun

charˈacterize or charˈacterise transitive verb

1. To describe by distinctive qualities
2. To be a distinguishing mark or quality of

charˈacterless adjective

Without character or distinctive qualities

charˈacterlessness noun

characterolˈogist noun

characterolˈogy noun

The science or study of the variety and development of character

charˈactery (also (Shakespeare) /-akˈ/) noun (archaic)

1. Writing
2. A system of symbols or letters used to express thoughts
3. The symbols so used

character actor noun

An actor who plays character parts

character assassination noun

The destruction of a person's reputation by slander, rumour, etc

character code noun (computing)

The particular binary code used to represent a character

characteristic curve noun (image technol)

A graph used to plot the relationship of the density of a photographic material and the logarithm of the exposure producing this density

characteristic function noun (mathematics)

Of a set, a function that assigns the value 1 to all points in the set, but zero to those outside

characteristic radiation noun (physics)

The wavelength of radiation that characterizes the atom of a particular substance

characteristic spectrum noun (physics)

The ordered arrangement of the frequencies of radiation characteristic of the material giving rise to it

characteristic X-rays see under X

character part noun

A stage or film role portraying an unusual or eccentric personality type

character recognition noun (computing)

A process used to recognize individual printed or written characters

character sketch noun

A short description of the main traits in a person's character

character witness noun

A person who makes a statement or gives evidence providing details of eg an accused person's character and past behaviour to a court of law

in character

1. In harmony with the part assumed, appropriate
2. In keeping with the person's usual conduct or attitudes
3. Dressed for the part

out of character

Not in character, unlike that which one would expect from the person concerned

• mellow out
• mellows
• mellowspeak
• mellowspeaks
• mellowy
• mells
• melocoton
• melocotons
• melocotoon
• melocotoons
• melodeon
• melodeons
• melodic
• melodica
• melodically
• melodicas
• melodic minor
• melodic minors
• melodics
• melodies
• melodion
• melodions
• melodious
• melodiously
• melodiousness