different between character vs supernatural

English

Etymology

From Middle English caracter, from Old French caractere, from Latin character, from Ancient Greek ???????? (kharakt?r, “type, nature, character”), from ??????? (kharáss?, “I engrave”). Doublet of charakter.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k??(?)kt?/, /?kæ?(?)kt?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?kæ??kt?/
• Hyphenation: char?ac?ter

Noun

character (countable and uncountable, plural characters)

1. (countable) A being involved in the action of a story.
2. (countable) A distinguishing feature; characteristic; trait; phene.

3. (uncountable, countable) A complex of traits marking a person, group, breed, or type.

   • A man of […] thoroughly subservient character

4. (uncountable) Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; moral strength.

5. (countable) A unique or extraordinary individual; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits, especially charisma.

6. (countable) A written or printed symbol, or letter.
   • 1669, William Holder, Elements of Speech

     It were much to be wished that there were throughout the world but one sort of character for each letter to express it to the eye.

7. (countable, dated) Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the particular form of letters used by a person or people.
8. (countable, dated) A secret cipher; a way of writing in code.
9. (countable, computing) One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character.
10. (countable, informal) A person or individual, especially one who is unknown or raises suspicions.

11. (countable, mathematics) A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group.
12. (countable) Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty.

13. (countable, dated) The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation.

    • This subterraneous passage is much mended since Seneca gave so bad a character of it.

14. (countable, dated) A reference given to a servant, attesting to their behaviour, competence, etc.
15. (countable, obsolete) Personal appearance.

Usage notes

Character is sometimes used interchangeably with reputation, but the two words have different meanings; character describes the distinctive qualities of an individual or group while reputation describes the opinions held by others regarding an individual or group. Character is internal and authentic, while reputation is external and perceived.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Pages starting with “character”.

Translations

Verb

character (third-person singular simple present characters, present participle charactering, simple past and past participle charactered)

1. (obsolete) To write (using characters); to describe.

See also

• codepoint
• font
• glyph
• letter
• symbol
• rune
• pictogram

Latin

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek ???????? (kharakt?r).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /k?a?rak.ter/, [k?ä??äkt??r]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ka?rak.ter/, [k????kt??r]

Noun

character m (genitive charact?ris); third declension

1. branding iron
2. brand (made by a branding iron)
3. characteristic, mark, character, style

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Descendants

• Hungarian: karakter
• Galician: caritel; ? carácter
• Irish: carachtar
• Italian: carattere
• Old French: caractere
  • ? English: character
  • French: caractère
• Polish: charakter
  • ? Russian: ????????? (xarákter)
• Portuguese: caractere, carácter
• Sicilian: caràttiri
• Spanish: carácter

References

• character in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• character in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• character in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700?^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Portuguese

Noun

character m (plural characteres)

1. Obsolete spelling of caráter (used in Portugal until September 1911 and died out in Brazil during the 1920s).

English

Etymology

From Middle English supernatural, supernatural, from Middle French supernaturel, from Latin supern?t?r?lis, from super (“above”) + n?t?ra (“nature; that which we are born with”), from n?tus (“born”), perfect passive participle of n?sc? (“to be born”) + adjective suffix -?lis.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?s(j)u?p??nat?(?)??l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s(j)u?p??næt???l/, /?s(j)u?p??næt???l/
• (General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /?s(j)??p??n?t???(l)/

Adjective

supernatural (comparative more supernatural, superlative most supernatural)

1. Above nature; beyond or added to nature, often so considered because it is given by a deity or some force beyond that which humans are born with.

   In Roman Catholic theology, sanctifying grace is considered to be a supernatural addition to human nature.

   Stephen King's first novel is about a girl named Carrie dealing with supernatural powers.

   • March 14, 2018, Roger Penrose writing in The Guardian, 'Mind over matter': Stephen Hawking – obituary

     As with the Delphic oracle of ancient Greece, physical impairment seemed compensated by almost supernatural gifts, which allowed his mind to roam the universe freely, upon occasion enigmatically revealing some of its secrets hidden from ordinary mortal view.

2. Not of the usual; not natural; altered by forces that are not understood fully if at all.

Synonyms

• extraordinary, paranormal, preternatural, supranatural, unnatural

Antonyms

• ordinary
• natural

Translations

Noun

supernatural (plural supernaturals)

1. (countable) A supernatural being
2. (uncountable) Supernatural beings and events collectively (when used with definite article: "the supernatural")
   • 2012, Blake Morrison, The Guardian, [1]:

     Dr Johnson defended Shakespeare's use of the supernatural from the charge of implausibility on the grounds that, "The reality of witchcraft … has in all ages and countries been credited by the common people, and in most by the learned."

Translations

Middle English

Alternative forms

• supernaturel

Etymology

From Middle French supernaturel, from Latin supern?t?r?lis; equivalent to super- +? natural.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?siu?p?rna??tiu?ral/, /?siu?p?rna??tiu?r?l/, /?siu?p?rna?tiu?ral/, /?siu?p?rna?tiu?r?l/

Adjective

supernatural

1. (Late Middle English, religion) Deity-related; from God.

Descendants

• English: supernatural
• Scots: supernatural

References

• “supern??t?r?l, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-14.

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin supern?t?r?lis.

Adjective

supernatural (plural supernaturales)

1. supernatural

   Synonym: sobrenatural