Main Entry: ¹char·ac·ter·is·tic

Pronunciation: \ˌker-ik-tə-ˈris-tik, ˌka-rik-\

Function: noun

Date: 1664

1 : a distinguishing trait, quality, or property
2 : the integral part of a common logarithm
3 : the smallest positive integer n which for an operation in a ring or field yields 0 when any element is used n times with the operation