Character (word)
Encyclopedia
A character may refer to any sign or symbol
.
is a nomen agentis of the verb (charassō) with a meaning "to sharpen, to whet", and also "to make cake ", from a PIE root "cut" also continued in Irish gearr and English gash, which is perhaps an early loan ultimately from the same Greek root.
A is thus an "engraver", originally in the sense of a craftsman, but then also used for a tool used for engraving, and for a stamp for minting coins. From the stamp, the meaning was extended to the stamp impression, Plato
using the noun in the sense of "engraved mark". In Plutarch
, the word could refer to a figure or letter, Lucian
uses it of hieroglyphs as opposed to Greek grammata (Herm. 44)
Metaphorically, it could refer to a distinctive mark, Herodotus
(1.57) using it of a particular dialect, or (1.116) of a characteristic mark of an individual. The collective noun "characteristics" appears later, in Dionysius Halicarnassensis.
Via Latin , Old French , the word passed into Middle English
as in the 14th century. Wycliffe
(1382) has To haue a [...] in her forhedis for the mark of the beast (translating "imprinted or branded mark").
or grapheme by William Caxton
, referring to the Phoenician alphabet
, The Fenyces were the fyrst inuentours of dyfferencing that one fro that other, of whiche were fourmed lettres for to write (Eneydos 6.25). As in Greek, the word was used especially for foreign or mysterious graphemes (such as Chinese
, Syriac
, or Runic ones) as opposed to the familiar letters; in particular of shorthand
(in David Copperfield
(chapter 38) sarcastically of shorthand
, "a procession of new horrors, called arbitrary characters; the most despotic characters I have ever known"), and since 1949 in computing (see character (computing)
.
As a collective noun, the word can refer to writing or printing in general (Shakespeare's sonnet nr. 59
: Since minde at first in carrecter was done, viz. "since thought was first put in writing").
came to refer to any astrological, cabbalistic or magical sign or symbol. Related is the Sacramental character
of Catholic doctrine.
Famously, John Dee
designed his Monas Hieroglyphica
in 1564.
In the 19th century, this sense of the word appears mainly in Romantic poetry, such as Sir Walter Scott
's Lay of the last minstrel (1805), where "A hallow'd taper shed a glimmering light / On mystic implements of magic might; On cross, and character, and talisman," (6.17).
, or a written representation of a philosophical language
that would recover the "true name
s" lost in the confusion of tongues
.
This idea had currency as a kind of epistemological philosophers' stone for about a century, from the mid 17th century, with Francis Lodwick
(1642) and John Wilkins
's Essay towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language (1668), to the later 18th century and the Encyclopédie
where in a long entry under the heading Charactère, D'Alembert critically reviewed such projects of the past century.
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
.
History
GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
is a nomen agentis of the verb (charassō) with a meaning "to sharpen, to whet", and also "to make cake ", from a PIE root "cut" also continued in Irish gearr and English gash, which is perhaps an early loan ultimately from the same Greek root.
A is thus an "engraver", originally in the sense of a craftsman, but then also used for a tool used for engraving, and for a stamp for minting coins. From the stamp, the meaning was extended to the stamp impression, Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
using the noun in the sense of "engraved mark". In Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, the word could refer to a figure or letter, Lucian
Lucian
Lucian of Samosata was a rhetorician and satirist who wrote in the Greek language. He is noted for his witty and scoffing nature.His ethnicity is disputed and is attributed as Assyrian according to Frye and Parpola, and Syrian according to Joseph....
uses it of hieroglyphs as opposed to Greek grammata (Herm. 44)
Metaphorically, it could refer to a distinctive mark, Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
(1.57) using it of a particular dialect, or (1.116) of a characteristic mark of an individual. The collective noun "characteristics" appears later, in Dionysius Halicarnassensis.
Via Latin , Old French , the word passed into Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
as in the 14th century. Wycliffe
Wycliffe
-People:*Wycliffe Grousbeck, CEO, Governor, and co-owner of the Boston Celtics basketball team*Wycliffe Bubba Morton , American Major League Baseball player*Wycliffe Juma Oluoch , Kenyan footballer*Wycliffe Oparanya, Kenyan politician...
(1382) has To haue a [...] in her forhedis for the mark of the beast (translating "imprinted or branded mark").
Grapheme
The word was used in the sense of letterLetter (alphabet)
A letter is a grapheme in an alphabetic system of writing, such as the Greek alphabet and its descendants. Letters compose phonemes and each phoneme represents a phone in the spoken form of the language....
or grapheme by William Caxton
William Caxton
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
, referring to the Phoenician alphabet
Phoenician alphabet
The Phoenician alphabet, called by convention the Proto-Canaanite alphabet for inscriptions older than around 1050 BC, was a non-pictographic consonantal alphabet, or abjad. It was used for the writing of Phoenician, a Northern Semitic language, used by the civilization of Phoenicia...
, The Fenyces were the fyrst inuentours of dyfferencing that one fro that other, of whiche were fourmed lettres for to write (Eneydos 6.25). As in Greek, the word was used especially for foreign or mysterious graphemes (such as Chinese
Chinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
, Syriac
Syriac alphabet
The Syriac alphabet is a writing system primarily used to write the Syriac language from around the 2nd century BC . It is one of the Semitic abjads directly descending from the Aramaic alphabet and shares similarities with the Phoenician, Hebrew, Arabic, and the traditional Mongolian alphabets.-...
, or Runic ones) as opposed to the familiar letters; in particular of shorthand
Shorthand
Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed or brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos and graphē or graphie...
(in David Copperfield
David Copperfield (novel)
The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery , commonly referred to as David Copperfield, is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a novel in 1850. Like most of his works, it originally appeared in serial...
(chapter 38) sarcastically of shorthand
Shorthand
Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed or brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos and graphē or graphie...
, "a procession of new horrors, called arbitrary characters; the most despotic characters I have ever known"), and since 1949 in computing (see character (computing)
Character (computing)
In computer and machine-based telecommunications terminology, a character is a unit of information that roughly corresponds to a grapheme, grapheme-like unit, or symbol, such as in an alphabet or syllabary in the written form of a natural language....
.
As a collective noun, the word can refer to writing or printing in general (Shakespeare's sonnet nr. 59
Sonnet 59
-I. Overview:Sonnet 59 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It's a member of the Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a young man.-II. Poetic style of Sonnet:...
: Since minde at first in carrecter was done, viz. "since thought was first put in writing").
Esotericism and magic
The word in Renaissance magicRenaissance magic
Renaissance humanism saw a resurgence in hermeticism and Neo-Platonic varieties of ceremonial magic.The Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution, on the other hand, saw the rise of scientism, in such forms as the substitution of chemistry for alchemy, the dethronement of the Ptolemaic theory of...
came to refer to any astrological, cabbalistic or magical sign or symbol. Related is the Sacramental character
Sacramental character
According to Roman Catholic Church teaching, a sacramental character is an indelible spiritual mark imprinted by three of the seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders....
of Catholic doctrine.
Famously, John Dee
John Dee (mathematician)
John Dee was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination and Hermetic philosophy....
designed his Monas Hieroglyphica
Monas Hieroglyphica
The Monas Hieroglyphica is an esoteric symbol invented and designed by John Dee, the Elizabethan Magus and Court Astrologer of Elizabeth I of England...
in 1564.
In the 19th century, this sense of the word appears mainly in Romantic poetry, such as Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
's Lay of the last minstrel (1805), where "A hallow'd taper shed a glimmering light / On mystic implements of magic might; On cross, and character, and talisman," (6.17).
Semiotics and epistemology
From the esoteric or mystical meanings, Early Modern learned authors abstracted a notion of Character as a code or hierarchical system that embodied all knowledge or all of realityReality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
, or a written representation of a philosophical language
Philosophical language
A philosophical language is any constructed language that is constructed from first principles, like a logical language, but may entail a strong claim of absolute perfection or transcendent or even mystical truth rather than satisfaction of pragmatic goals...
that would recover the "true name
True name
A true name is a name of a thing or being that expresses, or is somehow identical with, its true nature. The notion that language, or some specific sacred language, refers to things by their true names has been central to philosophical and grammatical study as well as various traditions of magic,...
s" lost in the confusion of tongues
Confusion of tongues
The confusion of tongues is the initial fragmentation of human languages described in the Book of Genesis 11:1–9, as a result of the construction of the Tower of Babel....
.
This idea had currency as a kind of epistemological philosophers' stone for about a century, from the mid 17th century, with Francis Lodwick
Francis Lodwick
Francis Lodwick was a pioneer of a priori languages . He was a merchant of Dutch origin who lived in London...
(1642) and John Wilkins
John Wilkins
John Wilkins FRS was an English clergyman, natural philosopher and author, as well as a founder of the Invisible College and one of the founders of the Royal Society, and Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death....
's Essay towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language (1668), to the later 18th century and the Encyclopédie
Encyclopédie
Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It was edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert...
where in a long entry under the heading Charactère, D'Alembert critically reviewed such projects of the past century.