any measurable property of a device measured under closely specified conditions;
a prominent aspect of something; "the map showed roads and other features"; "generosity is one of his best characteristics";
the integer part (positive or negative) of the representation of a logarithm; in the expression log 643 = 2.808 the characteristic is 2;
typical or distinctive; "heard my friend''s characteristic laugh"; "red and gold are the characteristic colors of autumn"; "stripes characteristic of the zebra";