characteristic

  1. Adjective.  being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing.
  2. Noun.  a distinguishable feature of a person or thing.
  3. Noun.  (mathematics) the integer part of a logarithm.
  4. Noun.  (nautical) the distinguishing features of a navigational light on a lighthouse etc by which it can be identified (colour, pattern of flashes etc).
  5. Noun.  (algebra, field theory) The minimum number of times that the unit of a field must be added unto itself in order to yield that field's zero, or, if that minimum natural number does not exist, then (the integer) zero.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.