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Character vs Metacharacter - What's the difference?

character | metacharacter |

As nouns the difference between character and metacharacter

is that character is while metacharacter is (computing) a character used to signify something other than its literal form, such as the asterisk when used as a wildcard.

character

English

Noun

  • A being involved in the action of a story.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=The stories did not seem to me to touch life. […] They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.}}
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=April 26, author=Tasha Robinson, work=The Onion AV Club
    • , title= Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits , passage=But Pirates! comes with all the usual Aardman strengths intact, particularly the sense that its characters and creators alike are too good-hearted and sweet to nitpick. The ambition is all in the craft rather than in the storytelling, but it’s hard to say no to the proficiency of that craft, or the mild good cheer behind it. }}
  • A distinguishing feature; characteristic.
  • A complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person or a group.
  • * Motley
    • a man of thoroughly subservient character
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=3 , passage=Now all this was very fine, but not at all in keeping with the Celebrity's character as I had come to conceive it. The idea that adulation ever cloyed on him was ludicrous in itself. In fact I thought the whole story fishy, and came very near to saying so.}}
  • Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; moral strength.
    • He has a great deal of character .
  • A unique or extraordinary individual; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits, especially charisma.
    • Julius Caesar is a great historical character .
  • A written or printed symbol, or letter.
  • * Holder
    • It were much to be wished that there were throughout the world but one sort of character for each letter to express it to the eye.
  • Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the particular form of letters used by a person or people.
    • an inscription in the Runic character
  • * Shakespeare
    • You know the character to be your brother's?
  • (computing) One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character.
  • (informal) A person or individual, especially one who is unknown or raises suspicions.
  • (mathematics) A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group.
  • Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty.
    • in the miserable character of a slave
    in his character as a magistrate
  • (dated) The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation.
    • a man's character for truth and veracity
    Her actions give her a bad character .
  • * Addison
    • This subterraneous passage is much mended since Seneca gave so bad a character of it.
  • (dated) A reference given to a servant, attesting to his/her behaviour, competence, etc.

    • Usage notes

    A comparison of character'' and ''reputation'': It would be well if ''character'' and ''reputation were used distinctively. In truth, character is what a person is; reputation is what he is supposed to be. Character is in himself, reputation is in the minds of others. Character is injured by temptations, and by wrongdoing; reputation by slanders, and libels. Character endures throughout defamation in every form, but perishes when there is a voluntary transgression; reputation may last through numerous transgressions, but be destroyed by a single, and even an unfounded, accusation or aspersion.

    Derived terms

    * cartoon character * character actor * character assassination * character class * character encoding * characterise / characterize * characterisation / characterization * characteristic * characterless * character recognition * character set * character theory * Chinese character * control character * dominant character * escape character * fictional character * in character * null character * out of character * player character * round character * staple character * stock character * whitespace character (character)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To write (using characters); To describe

    • See also

    * codepoint * font * glyph * letter * symbol * rune * pictogram

    Statistics

    * ----

    metacharacter

    English

    (wikipedia metacharacter)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (computing) A character used to signify something other than its literal form, such as the asterisk when used as a wildcard.