Characteristic

Distinguishing feature Note 1 to entry: A characteristic can be inherent or assigned. Note 2 to entry: A characteristic can be qualitative or quantitative. Note 3 to entry: There are various classes of characteristic, such as the following: a) physical (e.g. mechanical, electrical, chemical or biological characteristics); b) sensory (e.g. related to smell, touch, taste, sight, hearing); c) behavioural (e.g. courtesy, honesty, veracity); d) temporal (e.g. punctuality, reliability, availability, continuity); e) ergonomic (e.g. physiological characteristic, or related to human safety); f) functional (e.g. maximum speed of an aircraft).