Characteristic vs. Idiosyncrasy — What's the Difference?

Typical of a particular person, place, or thing

An idiosyncrasy is an unusual feature of a person (though there are also other uses, see below). It can also mean an odd habit.

A feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and serving to identify them

A mode of behaviour or way of thought peculiar to an individual

The whole number or integral part of a logarithm, which gives the order of magnitude of the original number.

An abnormal physical reaction by an individual to a food or drug.

Being a feature that helps to distinguish a person or thing; distinctive

A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.

A feature that helps to identify, tell apart, or describe recognizably; a distinguishing mark or trait.

A physiological or temperamental peculiarity.

(Mathematics) The integral part of a logarithm as distinguished from the mantissa

An unusual individual reaction to food or a drug.

(Mathematics) The least number of times the multiplicative identity in a ring needs to be added to itself to reach the additive identity, or, if the additive identity is never reached, zero. The integers have a characteristic of zero; the integers modulo 12 have a characteristic of 12.

A behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person.

Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing.

A language or behaviour that is particular to an individual or group.

A distinguishing feature of a person or thing.

(medicine) A peculiar individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance or factor.

(mathematics) The integer part of a logarithm.

A peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify.

(nautical) The distinguishing features of a navigational light on a lighthouse etc by which it can be identified (colour, pattern of flashes etc.).

A peculiarity of physical or mental constitution or temperament; a characteristic belonging to, and distinguishing, an individual; characteristic susceptibility; idiocrasy; eccentricity.

For a given field or ring, a natural number that is either the smallest positive number n such that n instances of the multiplicative identity (1) summed together yield the additive identity (0) or, if no such number exists, the number 0.

A behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual

Pertaining to, or serving to constitute, the character; showing the character, or distinctive qualities or traits, of a person or thing; peculiar; distinctive.

A distinguishing trait, quality, or property; an element of character; that which characterized.

The integral part (whether positive or negative) of a logarithm.

A prominent aspect of something;

A distinguishing quality

The integer part (positive or negative) of the representation of a logarithm; in the expression log 643 = 2.808 the characteristic is 2

Any measurable property of a device measured under closely specified conditions

Typical or distinctive;