characteristic vs particular

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.). 

particular

adj
  • Specialised; characteristic of a specific person or thing. 

  • Of a person, concerned with, or attentive to, details; fastidious. 

  • Containing a part only; limited. 

  • Distinguished in some way; special (often in negative constructions). 

  • Holding a particular estate. 

  • Concerned with, or attentive to, details; minute; circumstantial; precise. 

  • Forming a part of a genus; relatively limited in extension; affirmed or denied of a part of a subject. 

  • Specific; discrete; concrete. 

noun
  • A small individual part of something larger; a detail, a point. 

  • A particular case; an individual thing as opposed to a whole class. (Opposed to generals, universals.) 

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