character
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Middle English caracter, from Old French caractere, from Latin character, from Ancient Greek χαρακτήρ (kharaktēr, “type, nature, character”), from χαράσσω (kharassō, “I engrave”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
character (plural characters)
- A being involved in the action of a story.
- A written or printed symbol, or letter
- A distinguishing feature; characteristic; A complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person or a group.
- A study of the suspect's character and his cast iron alibi ruled him out.
- A moral strength.
- "You may not like to eat liver," said Calvin's father, "but it builds character."
- A person with many notable or eccentric features.
- (mathematics) A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group.
- (computing) One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character.
- (informal) A person or individual, especially one who is unknown or raises suspicions.
- We saw a shady character slinking out of the office with some papers.
[edit] Usage notes
A comparison of character and reputation: It would be well if character and reputation were used distinctively. In truth, character is what a person is; reputation is what he is supposed to be. Character is in himself, reputation is in the minds of others. Character is injured by temptations, and by wrongdoing; reputation by slanders, and libels. Character endures throughout defamation in every form, but perishes when there is a voluntary transgression; reputation may last through numerous transgressions, but be destroyed by a single, and even an unfounded, accusation or aspersion.
[edit] Derived terms
Terms derived from character
Look at pages starting with character.
[edit] Translations
being in a story
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symbol for a sound or a word
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distinguishing feature
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moral strength
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notable or eccentric person
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basic element in a text string (computing)
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
[edit] Verb
character (third-person singular simple present characters, present participle charactering, simple past and past participle charactered)
[edit] See also
[edit] Statistics
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Most common English words before 1923: spoke · strange · force · #464: character · taking · information · seem
[edit] Latin
[edit] Noun
character (genitive characteris); m, third declension
- branding iron
- brand (made by a branding iron)
- characteristic, mark, character, style
[edit] Inflection
[edit] Descendants
- Russian: хара́ктер (xarákter)
