caract

Caract is a shorthand term used in several specialized fields to refer to a single character or to a distinguishing feature. It is not a fixed term with a single definition, but rather a flexible abbreviation that appears in different contexts as a shortened form of “character” or “characteristic.”

Etymology traces of caract point to the French word caractère and to the English word characteristic. In historical manuscripts and early printed works, "caract" or similar forms were used as abbreviations to denote a glyph, letter, or notable feature, often within glossaries or typographic records.

In typography and paleography, caract historically designated a specific glyph or letter within a type specimen or catalog. In linguistics, the term has occasionally appeared as a label for a phonetic feature or a symbolic representation in data sets, serving as a compact marker for analysis.

In modern computing and data modeling, caract is sometimes used as a variable name or placeholder representing a single code unit, such as a character in a string, or as a designation for an individual glyph in font-design software. While not widespread as a technical standard, the term persists in niche documentation and cross-disciplinary discussions as a convenient shorthand.

See also: character, character encoding, glyph, phonetic feature, typographic character.