char
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /t͡ʃɑː/
ipa: [t͡ʃaː]
ipa: /t͡ʃɑɹ/
ipa: [t͡ʃɑɹ]
ipa: [t͡ʃɑ˞]
ipa: /t͡ʃaɹ/
ipa: [t͡ʃaɹ]
ipa: [t͡ʃa˞]
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)
ipa: /ˈkæɹ/
ipa: /kɛə/
ipa: /kɑː/
ipa: /kɛɹ/
ipa: /kɑɹ/
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)
ipa: /t͡ʃɑː/
ipa: [t͡ʃaː]
ipa: /t͡ʃɑɹ/
ipa: [t͡ʃɑɹ]
ipa: [t͡ʃɑ˞]
ipa: /t͡ʃaɹ/
ipa: [t͡ʃaɹ]
ipa: [t͡ʃa˞]
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)
Forms: form: chars
Etymology: Clipping of character. Used as the name of a data type in some programming languages, including notably C.
Senses: examples: text: The unit is an 80-column, 30 char. /sec dot matrix printer which uses a 5 by 7 font.
ref: 1975 April 23, Computerworld, page 21:
text: Chars can be considered as integers if need be without an explicit cast.
ref: 1997, Cay S Horstmann, Gary Cornell, Core Java 1.1: Fundamentals:
text: Then since each char occupies one byte, these four bytes represent the three letters 'B', 'y', 'e', and the null character NUL.
ref: 1998, John R Hubbard, Schaum's Outline of Theory and Problems of Fundamentals of Computing with C++:
text: When a 32-bit int value is stored to a 16-bit char variable, information can be lost if the 16 most significant bits are not zeroes in the int value.
ref: 2004, Kari Laitinen, A Natural Introduction to Computer Programming with C#:
text: Thus string variables are pointer variables to chars.
ref: 2000, Ken Brownsey, The essence of data structures using C++:
text: .NET uses the Unicode character set in which each char constant or variable takes up two bytes (16 bits) of storage.
ref: 2002, Nell B. Dale, Michael McMillan, Visual Basic .NET: a laboratory course - Page 25
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
programming
sciences
coordinate_terms: byte
double
float
int
long
short
glosses: A character (text element such as a letter or symbol).
examples: text: In fact, when I somewhat lack inspiration, I tend to convert my characters according to the rules of a game which universe is close enough (I did it for some of the chars in my WIP, taking the Cyberpunk 2020 rulebook).
ref: 2006, Yzabel, quotee, “The Y Logs”, in Deborah Woehr, editor, 2006 Writer’s Blog Anthology: A Collection of Works by Writers Who Blog, [Morrisville, N.C.]: Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 93:
text: WoW exp I feel that it is just a progress from Lv70 to 80 and then back to square one to raid\arena or die expansion. So I don’t see the point of going back just to level my char to 80 and let them idle at end-game.
ref: 2008 September, Soulhacker, quotee, “Ongoing MMO Wars”, in GameAxis Unwired, number 60, Singapore: SPH Magazines Pte Ltd, →ISSN, page 11:
text: The class (an adventuring style (e.g. mage, warrior, hunter, etc.) of the character, which determines abilities, weapons, etc.) choice often also influences the gaming and language of a character during role-playing. As one of the participants states: / Character bound politeness is part of some of my chars – as well as impoliteness is. An example: A Paladin or Priest has to be polite in RPG according to his profession to the light, a Warlock is the opposite as well as rogues etc.
ref: 2020, Svitlana Klötzl, Birgit Swoboda, Interpersonal Positioning in English as a Lingua Franca Interactions, New York, N.Y.; Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, →ISBN:
glosses: A character (being involved in the action of a story).
Derived terms: charizing
signed char
unsigned char
Related terms: charset
charstring