characteristic vs common

characteristic

adj
  • Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing. 

noun
  • A distinguishing feature of a person or thing. 

  • For a given field or ring, a natural number that is either the smallest positive number n such that n instances of the multiplicative identity (1) summed together yield the additive identity (0) or, if no such number exists, the number 0. 

  • The integer part of a logarithm. 

  • The distinguishing features of a navigational light on a lighthouse etc by which it can be identified (colour, pattern of flashes etc.). 

common

adj
  • Of, pertaining or belonging to the common gender. 

  • Mutual; shared by more than one. 

  • Found in large numbers or in a large quantity; usual. 

  • Of or pertaining to common nouns as opposed to proper nouns. 

  • Simple, ordinary or vulgar. 

  • Vernacular, referring to the name of a kind of plant or animal, i.e., common name vs. scientific name. 

  • Occurring or happening regularly or frequently; usual. 

noun
  • The right of taking a profit in the land of another, in common either with the owner or with other persons; so called from the community of interest which arises between the claimant of the right and the owner of the soil, or between the claimants and other commoners entitled to the same right. 

  • A tract of land in common ownership; common land. 

  • Mutual good, shared by more than one. 

  • The people; the community. 

How often have the words characteristic and common occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )