Characteristic, n.
Monet drew this man with an enormous nose: his most characteristic feature.
Caricature of a Man with a Large Nose, Claude Monet, 1855/56. Art Institute of Chicago.1. A distinguishing trait, quality, or property; an element of character; that which characterized. Pope. The characteristics of a true critic. Johnson.
2. (Math.)
The integral part (whether positive or negative) of a logarithm.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Characteristic, a.
Pertaining to, or serving to constitute, the character; showing the character, or distinctive qualities or traits, of a person or thing; peculiar; distinctive. Characteristic clearness of temper. Macaulay.
Shades of meaning
A characteristic belongs to the nature or character of the person, thing, or class, and serves to identify an object; as, a copper-colored skin, high cheek-bones, and straight, black hair are characteristics of the American Indian. A sign is manifest to an observer; a mark or a characteristic may be more difficult to discover; an insensible person may show signs of life, while sometimes only close examination will disclose marks of violence. Pallor is ordinarily a mark of fear; but in some brave natures it is simply a characteristic of intense earnestness. Mark is sometimes used in a good, but often in a bad sense; we speak of the characteristic of a gentleman, the mark of a villain. Compare attribute; character.