noun
characteristic (of a ring or field)
Technical term in algebra; refers to the smallest positive integer n such that n·1 = 0 in a ring, or 0 if no such n exists.
有限体の標数は素数である。
The characteristic of a finite field is a prime number.
標数0の体では、1を何回足しても0にならない。
In a field of characteristic 0, adding 1 to itself any number of times never yields 0.