Char`ac*ter*is"tic (?), a. [Gr. : cf. F. charact'eristique.]
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.
© Webster 1913.
Char`ac*ter*is"tic, n.
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.
© Webster 1913.