Added 8 October 2026
characteristic
/ˌkæɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about characteristic at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
adjective
-
Typical or distinctive.
heard my friend's characteristic laugh
Origin
From Ancient Greek χαρακτηριστικός (kharaktēristikós), from χαρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō, “to designate by a characteristic mark”), from χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “a mark, character”). By surface analysis, character + -istic.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)