Hypertext Webster Gateway: "characterize"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Characterize \Char"ac*ter*ize\, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
{Characterized}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Characterizing}.] [LL.
characterizare, Gr. ?: cf. F. charact['e]riser.]
1. To make distinct and recognizable by peculiar marks or
traits; to make with distinctive features.
European, Asiatic, Chinese, African, and Grecian
faces are Characterized. --Arbuthnot.
2. To engrave or imprint. [Obs.] --Sir M. Hale.
3. To indicate the character of; to describe.
Under the name of Tamerlane he intended to
characterize King William. --Johnson.
4. To be a characteristic of; to make, or express the
character of.
The softness and effeminacy which characterize the
men of rank in most countries. --W. Irving.
Syn: To describe; distinguish; mark; designate; style;
particularize; entitle.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
characterize
v 1: describe the qualities or peculiarities of; "You can
characterize his behavior as that of an egotist"; "This
poem can be characterized as a lament for a dead lover"
[syn: {qualify}, {characterise}]
2: be characteristic of; "What characterizes a Venetian
painting?" [syn: {characterise}]
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