Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

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.]
   1. A distinctive mark; a letter, figure, or symbol.

            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.             --Holder.

   2. Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the peculiar
      form of letters used by a particular person or people; as,
      an inscription in the Runic character.

            You know the character to be your brother's? --Shak.

   3. The peculiar quality, or the sum of qualities, by which a
      person or a thing is distinguished from others; the stamp
      impressed by nature, education, or habit; that which a
      person or thing really is; nature; disposition.

            The character or that dominion.       --Milton.

            Know well each Ancient's proper character; His
            fable, subject, scope in every page; Religion,
            Country, genius of his Age.           --Pope.

            A man of . . . thoroughly subservient character.
                                                  --Motley.

   4. Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality;
      as, he has a great deal of character.

   5. Moral quality; the principles and motives that control the
      life; as, a man of character; his character saves him from
      suspicion.

   6. Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct
      with respect to a certain office or duty; as, in the
      miserable character of a slave; in his character as a
      magistrate; her character as a daughter.

   7. The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or
      thing; reputation; as, a man's character for truth and
      veracity; to give one a bad character.

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

   8. A written statement as to behavior, competency, etc.,
      given to a servant. [Colloq.]

   9. A unique or extraordinary individuality; a person
      characterized by peculiar or notable traits; a person who
      illustrates certain phases of character; as, Randolph was
      a character; C[ae]sar is a great historical character.

   10. One of the persons of a drama or novel.

   Note: ``It would be well if character and reputation were
         used distinctively. In truth, character is what a
         person is; reputation is what he is supposed to be.
         Character is in himself, reputation is in the minds of
         others. Character is injured by temptations, and by
         wrongdoing; reputation by slanders, and libels.
         Character endures throughout defamation in every form,
         but perishes when there is a voluntary transgression;
         reputation may last through numerous transgressions,
         but be destroyed by a single, and even an unfounded,
         accusation or aspersion.'' --Abbott.

Character \Char"ac*ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Charactered}.]
   1. To engrave; to inscribe. [R.]

            These trees shall be my books. And in their barks my
            thoughts I 'll character.             --Shak.

   2. To distinguish by particular marks or traits; to describe;
      to characterize. [R.] --Mitford.

Source : WordNet®

character
     n 1: an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play
          or film or story); "she is the main character in the
          novel" [syn: {fictional character}, {fictitious
          character}]
     2: a characteristic property that defines the apparent
        individual nature of something; "each town has a quality
        all its own"; "the radical character of our demands" [syn:
         {quality}, {lineament}]
     3: the inherent complex of attributes that determine a persons
        moral and ethical actions and reactions; "education has
        for its object the formation of character"- Herbert
        Spencer [syn: {fiber}, {fibre}]
     4: an actor's portrayal of someone in a play; "she played the
        part of Desdemona" [syn: {role}, {theatrical role}, {part},
         {persona}]
     5: a person of a specified kind (usually with many
        eccentricities); "a real character"; "a strange
        character"; "a friendly eccentric"; "the capable type"; "a
        mental case" [syn: {eccentric}, {type}, {case}]
     6: good repute; "he is a man of character"
     7: a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential
        future employer describing the person's qualifications and
        dependability; "requests for character references are all
        to often answered evasively" [syn: {reference}, {character
        reference}]
     8: a written symbol that is used to represent speech; "the
        Greek alphabet has 24 characters" [syn: {grapheme}, {graphic
        symbol}]

character
     v : engrave or inscribe characters on

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

character
     
         An {atom} in a {character repertoire}.
     
        Compare with {glyph}.
     
        (1998-10-18)