Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CHAR'AC-TER-IZE, v.t. [Gr. χαρακτηριζω.]

1. To give a character, or an account of the personal qualities of a man; to describe by peculiar qualities.
2. To distinguish; to mark, or express the character; to exhibit the peculiar qualities of a person or thing; as, humility characterizes the true christian; the hero is characterized by bravery and magnanimity. The system of mediation has characterized the entire scheme of Divine dispensation. – Thodey.
3. To engrave or imprint. [Little used.] – Hale.
4. To mark with a peculiar stamp or figure. European, Asiatic, and African faces are all characterized. – Arbuthnot.