characteristic

A characteristic is a feature or quality that makes something what it is. Characteristics can be physical, such as the colour of an object or the shape of a plant. They can also be behavioural, such as the way an animal moves or the way a person talks.

In science, characteristics are often used to describe different types of organisms. For example, a characteristic of a dog might be that it has four legs and a tail. A characteristic of a tree might be that it has leaves and branches.

Characteristics can be used to classify things. For example, all dogs share certain characteristics, so they are classified as a type of mammal. All trees share certain characteristics, so they are classified as a type of plant.

Imagine that you are trying to find a specific toy in a toy store. You might look for the toy's colour, its shape, or its size. These are all characteristics of the toy that can help you to find it. In the same way, scientists use characteristics to identify and classify different types of organisms. By looking at the characteristics of an organism, scientists can learn a lot about it.

The characteristic smell of fresh bread wafted through the air.