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