# character

Pronunciation: US say "KAIR-ik-ter" /ˈkɛɹ(ə)ktɚ/; UK say "KA-rik-tuh" /ˈkæɹɪktə/

## Noun

1. A being who takes part in the action of a story, such as a person or creature in a novel, film, or play.
   - Simple: A person, animal, or being who takes part in a story.
   - _Every character in the novel changes by the final chapter._
   - _The writer based two minor characters on people from her hometown._
2. The combination of traits and qualities that makes a person, group, place, or thing distinct.
   - Simple: The set of qualities that make a person, place, or thing what it is.
   - _Decades of immigration shaped the character of the port city._
   - _Each region of the country has its own culinary character._
3. A single letter, digit, punctuation mark or other symbol used in writing or printing, or stored as one unit of text by a computer.
   - Simple: One letter, number, mark or symbol in writing, or in text on a computer.
   - _The ancient tablet was covered in characters no scholar could read._
   - _Print the first character of each name in capital letters._
4. A distinguishing feature or trait; one of the qualities that marks the nature of a thing.
   - Simple: A single feature or quality that makes something different from others.
   - _The leaf shape is a reliable character for telling the two trees apart._
   - _Botanists recorded the characters that varied across the population._
5. Strength of mind, resolution, and moral firmness; the inner qualities that make a person independent and principled.
   - Simple: Inner strength that helps someone stay strong and do the right thing.
   - _The crisis tested the character of everyone on the team._
   - _He showed great character by standing up for his unpopular friend._
6. A striking or unusual individual marked by colorful, memorable traits, especially great charm or charisma.
   - Simple: A person who is unusual, lively, and fun to be around.
   - _The old fisherman was such a character that everyone in town knew his name._
   - _Every village seems to have its share of beloved local characters._
7. A person or individual, especially one whose identity is unknown to the speaker. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A person, especially one you do not know.
   - _A suspicious character had been loitering near the bank all morning._
   - _Two rough characters followed us out of the bar._
9. The position, rank, or capacity in which someone acts; their conduct with respect to a particular office or duty.
   - Simple: The role or position someone holds while doing a certain job or duty.
   - _Acting in his character as trustee, he approved the sale of the land._
   - _She addressed the court in her character of legal guardian._

## Noun

8. The general estimate or opinion that people form of a person or thing; reputation. *(dated)*
   - Simple: What people generally think of someone or something: their reputation.
   - _Gossip threatened to ruin her character within a single season._
   - _The firm guarded its character for honest dealing above all else._
10. A written reference given to a servant, attesting to their conduct, honesty, and competence. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A written note about a servant's conduct and skills, given to help them find work.
   - _A servant dismissed without a character faced real hardship finding new work._
   - _The housekeeper carried a glowing character from her previous employer._
11. A particular style of writing or printing; the form of letters used by a person or people. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A style of handwriting or printing, or the shape of the letters a person or a people uses.
   - _The pamphlet was set in a plain roman character, still easy on the eye after three centuries._
   - _Her name was carved on the stone in the Cyrillic character, which none of the villagers could read._
12. A secret cipher or system of writing used to keep a message hidden from others. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A secret code or cipher used to hide a message.
13. A person's outward look or physical appearance, as presented to others. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The way a person looks: their outward appearance.

## Verb

14. To write or inscribe by means of letters; to set down or describe in writing. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To write something down, or to set it down in words.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In group theory, a homomorphism from a group to the nonzero complex numbers under multiplication, or more generally the trace function of a group representation.

## Origin

Ancient Greek χαράσσω (kharássō, "I engrave") gave χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, "type, nature, character"), which Latin took over as character. From there it passed into Old French as caractere and then into Middle English.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/character (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).