characteristic vs indefinite

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.). 

indefinite

adj
  • Designating an unspecified or unidentified person or thing or group of persons or things 

  • Undecided or uncertain. 

  • Being an integral without specified limits. 

  • Vague or unclear. 

  • Without limit; forever, or until further notice; not definite. 

noun
  • A word or phrase that designates an unspecified or unidentified person or thing or group of persons or things. 

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