Trait
/treɪt/
Definitions
A specific characteristic or quality that distinguishes a person or thing.
/treɪt/
A distinguishing quality or characteristic.
Patience is an important trait for a teacher.
💡 Simply: A trait is like a special superpower that makes you, you! It's something that's part of your personality or something you're good at. Like, if you're always happy, that's a happy trait!
👶 For kids: A trait is something that makes someone or something special, like if you're always kind.
More Examples
One of his best traits is his sense of humor.
She inherited several traits from her mother.
How It's Used
"Introversion is a common personality trait."
"Eye color is a genetically determined trait."
"Her kindness is a defining trait."
From Old French *trait* meaning "a feature, characteristic, or stroke," ultimately from Latin *tractus* meaning "a drawing, dragging, or feature." The word evolved to describe a distinguishing characteristic.
The word 'trait' has been used to describe both physical and character attributes since the 16th century. Shakespeare frequently used the term to depict character qualities.
Memory tip
Think of a train—it's defined by specific tracks. A trait is what defines something.
Word Origin
"a drawing, a feature"