character
/ˈkæ.ɹɪk.tə/
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: characters
Sense 1
Meaning · English
A being involved in the action of a story; a persona.
Noun
Examples
[I]n a tragedy, or epick poem, the hero of the piece must be advanced foremost to the view of the reader or spectator; he must outshine the rest of all the characters; he must appear the prince of them, like the sun in the Copernican system, encompassed with the less noble planets …
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Meaning · English
A distinguishing feature; characteristic; trait; nature; phene.
Noun
Examples
A single locus governing the petal colour character was detected on the linkage group A2.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “character” mean?
A being involved in the action of a story; a persona.
Is “character” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.