| [ME. caracter(e, a. F. caractere, ad. L. charact{emac}r, a. Gr. {chi}{alpha}{rho}{alpha}{kappa}{tau}{ghacu}{rho} instrument for marking or graving, impress, stamp, distinctive mark, distinctive nature, f. {chi}{alpha}{rho}{gaacu}{tau}{tau}-{epsilon}{iota}{nu} to make sharp, cut furrows in, engrave; or perhaps a refashioning of the earlier F. caracte after this. In Eng. it was further assimilated in 16th c. by (fictitious) spelling with ch-. (Wyclif used both caracte and caracter; he may have taken the latter directly from Latin, as Littré cites F. caractère only from 15th c. In 16-17th c. often cha{sm}racter.] | | [ME. caracter(e, a. F. caractere, ad. L. charact{emac}r, a. Gr. {chi}{alpha}{rho}{alpha}{kappa}{tau}{ghacu}{rho} instrument for marking or graving, impress, stamp, distinctive mark, distinctive nature, f. {chi}{alpha}{rho}{gaacu}{tau}{tau}-{epsilon}{iota}{nu} to make sharp, cut furrows in, engrave; or perhaps a refashioning of the earlier F. caracte after this. In Eng. it was further assimilated in 16th c. by (fictitious) spelling with ch-. (Wyclif used both caracte and caracter; he may have taken the latter directly from Latin, as Littré cites F. caractère only from 15th c. In 16-17th c. often cha{sm}racter.] |