Feature is an element that helps in the construction of an idea, concept and the notion of someone or something. as the personal characteristics, which are the set of qualities, defects and expressions of people.
They are synonyms characteristic of the words quality, element, aspect, trait, nature, attribute, character, peculiarity, sign, profile, particularity and property.
Characteristics help differentiate one thing from another, or one person from another. These are particular qualities that can be psychological, intellectual, physical, among others.
Like for example:
Carolina is a lovely girl. Her main personal characteristic is her kindness, always with sweet words and willing to help others all the time.
Mariana is a determined girl. Her main personal characteristic is objectivity, in a way that she is always focused on her goals and what to do to reach them, without wasting time.
Each example presents the characteristic of a person. They are different characteristics, which make them to be seen in different ways. Characteristics are ways to mark the concept of someone or something, which is possible to distinguish one from the other.
At physical characteristics they are also part of the personal characteristics. Whether the person is short, tall, thin, fat, blonde, dark, black or white. All these phenotype factors are personal characteristics, and therefore elements that act to build the concept of ourselves.
Things also have their characteristics, like an inventory of the elements that make them up. For example, when choosing an item in an online store, below the description are the characteristics of the product, such as size, weight, specifications of applied technologies, functions it performs, among others.
The origin of the word characteristic is in the Greek Kharakter, which originated the Latin word character, and means engraved mark. In its figurative sense, it was understood as an impression, a mark on the soul, and consequently came to be used as the quality that defines something or someone.
See too the qualities of a person.