characterise

Everyday

1. To be the typical feature or quality of something. tree →
2. To describe what someone or something is like. tree →

In the lessons

Used in science and English lessons: "deserts are characterised by little rain", "how would you characterise the main character?". Formal; common in exam questions. Phrases: be characterised by, characterise as.

Examples

• Deserts are characterised by very little rain. tree →
• How would you characterise the giant in the story? tree →
• The music is characterised by fast drums. tree →
• The teacher characterised the class as hard-working. tree →
• Mammals are characterised by having fur or hair. tree →
• Her paintings are characterised by bright colours. tree →
• The firm foundations of common sense, the shrewd shots at uncommon sense, that characterise all the Fables, belong not him but to humanity. tree →

Note

UK, Australia, NZ, Ireland often spell it "characterise"; the USA and Canada spell it "characterize". Nouns: character, characteristic (a typical feature). Not a maths word.