any measurable property of a device measured under closely specified conditions
the integer part (positive or negative) of the representation of a logarithm; in the expression log 643 = 2.808 the characteristic is 2
typical or distinctive; "heard my friend's characteristic laugh"; "red and gold are the characteristic colors of autumn"; "stripes characteristic of the zebra"
(used informally especially for emphasis); "a real honest-to-god live cowboy"; "had us a high old time"; "went upriver to look at a sure-enough fish wheel"
a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge); "a friend in New Mexico said that the order caused no trouble out there"
happening or arising or located within some limits or especially surface; "internal organs"; "internal mechanism of a toy"; "internal party maneuvering"
occurring within an institution or community; "intragroup squabbling within the corporation"
a mold for setting concrete; "they built elaborate forms for pouring the foundation"
the visual appearance of something or someone; "the delicate cast of his features"
a particular mode in which something is manifested; "his resentment took the form of extreme hostility"
an ability to perform well; "he was at the top of his form"; "the team was off form last night"
a perceptual structure; "the composition presents problems for students of musical form"; "a visual pattern must include not only objects but the spaces between them"
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something; "the inflected forms of a word can be represented by a stem and a list of inflections to be attached"
a printed document with spaces in which to write; "he filled out his tax form"
an arrangement of the elements in a composition or discourse; "the essay was in the form of a dialogue"; "he first sketches the plot in outline form"
(biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups; "a new strain of microorganisms"
assume a form or shape; "the water formed little beads"
create (as an entity); "social groups form everywhere"; "They formed a company"
to compose or represent:"This wall forms the background of the stage setting"; "The branches made a roof"; "This makes a fine introduction"
develop into a distinctive entity; "our plans began to take shape"
any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter