character

noun

(Gr. kharaktêr: sign, mark) Heritable trait possessed by an organism; characters are usually described in terms of their states, for example: 'hair present' vs. 'hair absent,' where 'hair' is the character, and 'present' and 'absent' are its states. Expression of a gene or group of genes. An attribute of an organism resulting from the interaction of a gene or genes with environment. Also characteristic.