characteristic vs quality

characteristic

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.). 

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

quality

noun
  • Something that differentiates a thing or person. 

  • The third step in OPQRST where the responder investigates what the NOI/MOI feels like. 

  • A newspaper with relatively serious, high-quality content. 

  • Level of excellence. 

  • The degree to which a man-made object or system is free from bugs and flaws, as opposed to scope of functions or quantity of items. 

  • In a two-phase liquid–vapor mixture, the ratio of the mass of vapor present to the total mass of the mixture. 

adj
  • Being of good worth, well made, fit for purpose; of high quality. 

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