character

[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 …

1695, John Dryden, A Parallel of Poetry and Painting:

The stories did not seem to me to touch life. […] They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

But Pirates! comes with all the usual Aardman strengths intact, particularly the sense that its characters and creators alike are too good-hearted and sweet to nitpick. The ambition is all in the craft rather than in the storytelling, but it’s hard to say no to the proficiency of that craft, or the mild good cheer behind it.

2012 April 26, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits”, in The Onion AV Club:

(countable) A being involved in the action of a story.

A single locus governing the petal colour character was detected on the linkage group A2.

(countable) A distinguishing feature; characteristic; trait; phene.

A study of the suspect's character and his cast iron alibi ruled him out.

A man of […] thoroughly subservient character

1856, John Lothrop Motley, The Rise of the Dutch Republic. A History. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:

Now all this was very fine, but not at all in keeping with the Celebrity's character as I had come to conceive it. The idea that adulation ever cloyed on him was ludicrous in itself. In fact I thought the whole story fishy, and came very near to saying so.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter III, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

(uncountable, countable) A complex of traits marking a person, group, breed, or type.

He has a great deal of character.

"You may not like to eat liver," said Calvin's father, "but it builds character."

Shepard: Are you attracted to other species?
Kelly: Well, part of my job is predicting the motives and feelings of humans and aliens. Intimacy brings understanding.
Kelly: And passion is nice wherever you find it. Character matters, not race or gender.

2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Normandy SR-2:

(uncountable) Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; moral strength.

Julius Caesar is a great historical character.

That bloke is such a character.

(countable) A unique or extraordinary individual; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits, especially charisma.

It were much to be wished that there were throughout the world but one sort of character for each letter to express it to the eye.

1669, William Holder, Elements of Speech: An Essay of Inquiry into the Natural Production of Letters: […], London: […] T. N[ewcomb] for J[ohn] Martyn printer to the R[oyal] Society, […], →OCLC:

(countable) A written or printed symbol, or letter.

an inscription in the Runic character

You know the character to be your brother's?

c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

(countable, dated) Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the particular form of letters used by a person or people.

(countable, dated) A secret cipher; a way of writing in code.

(countable, computing) One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character.

We saw a shady character slinking out of the office with some papers.

That old guy is a real character.

STINGER: Don't screw around with me Maverick. You're a hell of an instinctive pilot. Maybe too good. I'd like to bust your butt but I can't. I got another problem here. I gotta send somebody from this squadron to Miramar. I gotta do something here, I still can't believe it. I gotta give you your dream shot, I'm gonna send you up against the best. You two characters are going to Top Gun.

1986, Jim Cash, Jack Epps, Jr., Ehud Yonay, Top Gun, California: Paramount Pictures:

(countable, informal) A person or individual, especially one who is unknown.

(countable, mathematics) A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group.

in the miserable character of a slave

in his character as a magistrate

(countable) Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty.

a man's character for truth and veracity

Her actions give her a bad character.

This subterraneous passage is much mended since Seneca gave so bad a character of it.

1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

(countable, dated) The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation.

(countable, dated) A reference given to a servant, attesting to their behaviour, competence, etc.

(countable, obsolete) Personal appearance.

en-noun

character (countable and uncountable, plural characters)

→ Scottish Gaelic: caractar

խառնվածք

complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person or a group

karakter

(computing) basic element in a text string

From Middle English caracter, from Old French caractere, from Latin character, from Ancient Greek χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “type, nature, character”), from χαράσσω (kharássō, “I engrave”). Doublet of charakter.


character

O Roſalind, theſe Trees ſhall be my Bookes, / And in their barkes my thoughts Ile charracter, / That euery eye, which in this Forreſt lookes, / Shall ſee thy vertue witneſt euery where.

c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii]:

(obsolete) To write (using characters); to describe.

en-verb

character (third-person singular simple present characters, present participle charactering, simple past and past participle charactered)

characters (present singular third-person)
charactering (participle present)
charactered (participle past)
charactered (past)