character

character
character (n.) early 14c., from O.Fr. caractere (13c., Mod.Fr. caractère), from L. character, from Gk. kharakter "engraved mark," also "symbol or imprint on the soul," from kharassein "to engrave," from kharax "pointed stake," from PIE root *gher- "to scrape, scratch." Meaning extended by metaphor to "a defining quality."
You remember Eponina, who kept her husband alive in an underground cavern so devotedly and heroically? The force of character she showed in keeping up his spirits would have been used to hide a lover from her husband if they had been living quietly in Rome. Strong characters need strong nourishment. [Stendhal "de l'Amour," 1822]
Sense of "person in a play or novel" is first attested 1660s, in reference to the "defining qualities" he or she is given by the author. The Latin ch- spelling was restored 1500s.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Character — Char ac*ter, n. [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. ?, fr. ? to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caract[ e]re.] [1913 Webster] 1. A distinctive mark; a letter, figure, or symbol. [1913 Webster] It were much to be… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Character — Character(s) may refer to: Contents 1 Art and entertainment 2 Mathematics, science and technology 3 Symbols 4 Other …   Wikipedia

  • Character — Char ac*ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Charactered}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To engrave; to inscribe. [R.] [1913 Webster] These trees shall be my books. And in their barks my thoughts I ll character. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To distinguish by particular… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • character — I. noun Etymology: Middle English caracter, from Latin character mark, distinctive quality, from Greek charaktēr, from charassein to scratch, engrave; perhaps akin to Lithuanian žerti to scratch Date: 14th century 1. a. a conventionalized graphic …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • character — See: IN CHARACTER …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • character — See: IN CHARACTER …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Character education — is an umbrella term loosely used to describe the teaching of children in a manner that will help them develop variously as moral, civic, good, mannered, behaved, non bullying, healthy, critical, successful, traditional, compliant and/ or socially …   Wikipedia

  • Character displacement — refers to the phenomenon where differences among similar species whose distributions overlap geographically are accentuated in regions where the species co occur but are minimized or lost where the species’ distributions do not overlap. This… …   Wikipedia

  • Character shield — Character shields (also known as plot armor or plot shield) are plot devices in films and television shows that prevent important characters from dying or being seriously injured at dramatically inconvenient moments. It often denotes a situation… …   Wikipedia

  • Character Options — is a British toy company, notable for having both the Disney and Doctor Who toy licenses. It hit the headlines during 2007 as the UK distributor for the Bindeez range of products was recalled due to a dangerous chemical. Contents 1 Doctor Who 1.1 …   Wikipedia

  • Character animation — is a specialized area of the animation process concerning the animation of one or more characters featured in an animated work. It is usually as one aspect of a larger production and often made to enhance voice acting. The primary role of a… …   Wikipedia

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