See Also: Character(medicine)
Character(money)
character(1)(dictionary)
character(2)(dictionary)
character(dictionary)
character actor(dictionary)
Character Loan(money)
unit character(medicine)
sex-linked character(medicine)
recessive character(medicine)

character(1) (iou)



character noun. ME.
[Old & mod. French caractere from Latin character from Greek kharakter instrument for marking, from kharassein engrave; assim. to Latin in 16.]
A distinctive mark impressed, engraved, or otherwise formed. arch. in gen. sense. ME.
= CHARACT 2. arch. LME.
b. gen. A symbol, an emblem; a representation. E17-E18.
A graphic symbol, esp. one denoting a sound or idea. Usu. in pl. L15.
F. King Some in Western letters and some in Japanese characters. D. Walcott An old lady writes me in a spidery style, Each character trembling.
b. A writing-system, a set of letters etc.; writing, printing; a style of writing or printing. arch. L16.
Spenser The Saxons Character is the same with the Irish. Shakespeare Measure for Measure Here is the hand and seal of the Duke. You know the character, I doubt not.
c. In pl. Shorthand. M17-E18.
d. A cipher for secret correspondence etc. M17-M18.
e. Computing. A letter, digit, or other symbol which can be read, stored, and output by a computer; a representation of such a symbol. M20.
fig. A token; a feature, trait, characteristic. arch. in gen. sense. E16.
Burke Tell me, what one character of liberty the Americans have.
b. Biology. A distinguishing characteristic of a species etc. E18.
A description; spec. a description or detailed report of a person's qualities, a testimonial. M16.
A. Wilson If you land back in the approved school don't come to me for a good character.
The estimate formed of a person's qualities; reputation; good repute. E17.
E. A. Freeman His character for sanctity.
Personal appearance. E17-M18.
Collective peculiarities; nature, sort, style; the distinctive mental or moral qualities of an individual, a people, etc.; distinction, individuality. E17.
A. Crump The amount and character of the deposits of English banks. M. Innes Inquiries on the character and habits of the missing girl. C. G. Seligman In character the Tuareg are independent, brave, impulsive, and mendacious.
Recognized official rank; status, position; role. M17.
G. Burnet He had the appointments of an ambassador, but would not take the character.
a. A person regarded as the possessor of specified qualities; a personage, a personality. M17.
L. P. Hartley Both were exceedingly strong characters. J. Cannan The character who owns Mab..leaves his gear out in her.
b. A person portrayed in a novel, a drama, etc; a part played by an actor or (arch.) a dissembler. M17.
G. Greene A story with a senior civil servant as the main character.
c. An eccentric or noticeable person. L18.
Moral strength, esp. if highly developed or evident. M18.
Day Lewis A delicate vivid face, giving an impression of character beyond her years.
Phrases: in character in accord with a person's nature and reputation. optical character reader, optical character recognition: see OPTICAL adjective. out of character at variance with a person's nature and reputation. social character: see SOCIAL adjective. specific character: see SPECIFIC adjective. titular character: see TITULAR adjective 3. unit character: see UNIT noun1 & adjective.
Comb.: character actor, character actress: specializing in character parts; character assassination deliberate destruction of a person's reputation; character part an acting part requiring strong delineation of individual, esp. eccentric or unusual, character; character reference a testimonial to a person's qualities; character sketch a brief (written) description of a person's qualities; character string a linear sequence of characters, esp. stored in or processed by a computer; character witness a person who attests to another person's good reputation.
characterful adjective full of character, individual E20.
characterless adjective without character or individuality E17.
characterlessness noun M19.
charactery, charactry noun (now poet.) expression of thought by symbols or characters; the symbols or characters collectively: L16.