different between look vs character

English

Etymology

From Middle English loken, lokien, from Old English l?cian, from Proto-West Germanic *l?k?n. Further origin unknown, no certain cognates outside Germanic. The English word, however, is cognate with Scots luke, luik, leuk (“to look, see”), West Frisian lôkje, loaitsje (“to look”), Middle Dutch loeken (“to look”), German Low German löken and Alemannic German luege. Possibly related to Sanskrit ???? (lok, “to see, behold”) *lewk- (“light”) in the sense of "illuminating" (cf. related word ???? (ruc) "to shine, illuminate")

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l?k/
  • Rhymes: -?k
  • Homophone: luck (most of Northern England)
• (some Northern En?lish dialects, esp. Bolton) IPA^(key): /lu?k/
  • Rhymes: -u?k
  • Homophone: Luke
• (Liverpool usually) IPA^(key): /lu?x/
  • Rhymes: -u?x

Verb

look (third-person singular simple present looks, present participle looking, simple past and past participle looked)

1. To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:look

   1. (intransitive) As an intransitive verb, often with "at".

      Troponyms: glance; see also Thesaurus:stare
   2. (transitive, colloquial) As a transitive verb, often in the imperative; chiefly takes relative clause as direct object.

2. To appear, to seem.
   • c. 1701–03, Joseph Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c., Dedication:

     THERE is a plea?ure in owning obligations which it is a plea?ure to have received; but ?hould I publi?h any favours done me by your Lord?hip, I am afraid it would look more like vanity, than gratitude.

   • So this was my future home, I thought! […] Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.

   • 2012, Chelsea 6-0 Wolves

     Chelsea's youngsters, who looked lively throughout, then combined for the second goal in the seventh minute. Romeu's shot was saved by Wolves goalkeeper Dorus De Vries but Piazon kept the ball alive and turned it back for an unmarked Bertrand to blast home.

3. (copulative) To give an appearance of being.
4. (intransitive, often with "for") To search for, to try to find.
5. To face or present a view.
   • 1769, Benjamin Blayney (editor), King James Bible, Oxford standard text, Ezekiel, xi, 1,

     Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD's house, which looketh eastward:

6. To expect or anticipate.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Fairie Queene, Book VI, Canto XI, 1750, The Works of Edmund Spenser, Volume 4, page 139,

     Looking each Hour into Death's Mouth to fall,
7. (transitive) To express or manifest by a look.
   • c. 1815, Lord Byron, Waterloo,

     Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again,

8. (transitive, often with "to") To make sure of, to see to.
   • 1898, Samuel Butler (translator), Homer, The Odyssey,

     "Look to it yourself, father," answered Telemachus, "for they say you are the wisest counsellor in the world, and that there is no other mortal man who can compare with you. […]

9. (dated, sometimes figuratively) To show oneself in looking.
   • c. 1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, Induction, Scene 2, 1831, George Steevens (editor), The Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare, [Publication of the copy annotated by Steevens], Volume 1, page 254,

     I have […] more feet than shoes, or such shoes as my toes look through the overleather.

10. (transitive, obsolete) To look at; to turn the eyes toward.

    • Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. […] She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in the face now, […].

11. (transitive, obsolete) To seek; to search for.
    • c. 1552–1599, Edmund Spenser, unidentified sonnet,

      Looking my love, I go from place to place, / Like a young fawn that late hath lost the hind; / And seek each where, where last I saw her face, / Whose image yet I carry fresh in mind.

12. (transitive, obsolete) To influence, overawe, or subdue by looks or presence.
    • 1692, John Dryden, Cleomenes the Spartan Hero, a Tragedy, Act 3, Scene 1, 1701, The Comedies, Tragedies, and Operas Written by John Dryden, Esq, Volume 2, page 464,

      A Spirit fit to start into an Empire, / And look the World to Law.

    • 1882, Wilkie Collins, Heart and Science

      Ovid might have evaded her entreaties by means of an excuse. But her eyes were irresistible: they looked him into submission in an instant.

14. (baseball) To look at a pitch as a batter without swinging at it.

Usage notes

Though the use of the pronunciation /lu?k/ is now restricted to northern English dialects, it was formerly more widespread. For example, it is mentioned without comment in Walker's Critical Pronouncing Dictionary.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

look

1. Pay attention.

Translations

Synonyms

• see, so, well, hey

Noun

look (plural looks)

1. The action of looking; an attempt to see.

2. (often plural) Physical appearance, visual impression.

   • He tried to persuade Cicely to stay away from the ball-room for a fourth dance. […] But she said she must go back, and when they joined the crowd again her partner was haled off with a frightened look to the royal circle, […]

3. A facial expression.

Derived terms

Translations

References

Anagrams

• kolo, kool

Dutch

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch look, from Old Dutch *l?k, from Proto-Germanic *laukaz. Compare Low German look, Look, German Lauch, English leek, Danish løg, Swedish lök. More at leek.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lo?k/
• Hyphenation: look
• Rhymes: -o?k

Noun

look n or m (uncountable)

1. Plants of the genus Allium, especially garlic.
2. Several related herbs, like chive, garlic, shallot and leek.

Derived terms

• lookachtig
• lookallergie
• lookbed
• lookgeur
• looksaus
• looksmaak
• looksoep
• lookstank
• lookworst

-plant species:

• bieslook (“chives”)
• berglook (“keeled garlic”)
• daslook (“bear leek”)
• eslook (“shallot”)
• knoflook (“garlic”)
• kraailook (“crow garlic”)
• lookprei
• look-zonder-look
• moeslook (“field garlic”)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lo?k/
• Hyphenation: look
• Rhymes: -o?k

Verb

look

1. singular past indicative of luiken

Etymology 3

Borrowed from English look.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /luk/
• Hyphenation: look
• Rhymes: -uk

Noun

look m (plural looks)

1. A look, (clothing) style, appearance.

Derived terms

• horrorlook

Etymology 4

Related to luiken, cognate with English lock.

Noun

look m (plural loken, diminutive [please provide])

1. A gap, space between barrels or between the strings in rope.
2. A section, division (archaic).

Anagrams

• kool

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English look.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /luk/

Noun

look m (plural looks)

1. A style; appearance; look.

Derived terms

• relooker
• relooking

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English look.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?luk/, [?luk]

Noun

look m (plural looks)

1. (informal) a look; style, appearance

References

• “look” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Tagalog

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /?lo?ok/

Noun

look

1. A bay.

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).