What is the origin of the word character?

Answer 1

Character comes to middle English (caracter) from middle French (caractare). It is earlier found in Latin (character) which it entered via two distinct Greek routes. Route 1 is kharacter (type, nature, character). Route 2 is Kharasso ("I engrave").

I find this a fascinating word, full of complexity. It has the meanings from route 2 of a shape, a letter, a mark, and then the set from route 1, describing the nature or type of thing.

I found most interesting a discussion on character as equivalent to reputation. The key difference was that character was internal, generated from and by the self, while reputation was external, a description applied by others from observation.

In order to accurately say the origin of "character", then, it is critical that we understand the way the word is being used. In writing about the character of a person, we'll use characters. This could mean that we'd use a series of people to speak about the person, or that we'd use a series of marks to create words to be read.