characters

Overview

Meaning Now

• Plural of character: letters, symbols, or signs used in writing or printing.
• The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual or group; personality and reputation.
• People portrayed in a story, play, film, or other narrative.

Journey

Greek kharaktēr originally denoted an engraved or stamped mark, as on a coin or seal. The verb kharassein meant 'to scratch, engrave.' The sense extended to written letters, then to the distinctive stamp of a person's nature, and later to an imagined person in a drama or story. This explains why the same English word covers writing symbols, personality, and fictional persons.

Evolution

1. Ancient Greek (5th–4th century BCE)

   χαρακτήρ (kharaktēr)

   “engraved mark, stamp, distinctive mark”

   Related to χαράσσω (kharassō), 'to scratch, engrave'. Used of marks stamped on coins, seals, or bodies.

2. Latin (1st century BCE–4th century CE)

   character

   “brand, mark, stamp; distinctive mark or style”

   Borrowed from Greek; used for written signs and personal traits.

3. Old French (12th–14th century)

   caractere

   “mark, sign, character; written symbol”

   Passed from Latin into French and then English.

4. Middle English (mid-14th century)

   caracter, carecter

   “symbol, letter; branded or engraved mark”

   First English uses include marks and letters; the sense 'moral quality' develops later.

5. Early Modern English (16th–17th century)

   character

   “letter/symbol; moral qualities; reputation; person in a play”

   The theatrical sense arises from the idea of a distinctive role or type.

6. Modern English (20th–21st century)

   characters

   “written symbols; people in a narrative; personality traits; computing code units”

   The plural form is standard; the computing sense refers to letters, digits, and symbols in text encoding.

Connections

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