Is "Characters" a Good Word for What Twitter Limits?

       I think it is a good word.   It's not only letters that are limited; it's punctuation, numerals, I guess anything that's a visible mark.

       And what does the word that means traits of a person's nature, actions, and morality, that "character," have to do with Twitter's useage?

       “Character” comes from Latin character, from Greek kharakter, from kharax, “pointed stick," something that was used "to inscribe" or "scratch" or "engrave," to make a mark.

       Shakespeare's Polonius gives advice to his son using "character" in an earlier English verb form:

       And these few precepts in thy memory
       See thou character.  Give thy thoughts no tongue....
                                             Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3

       We sometimes say that a person's character is revealed in the face; we can see the qualities and values of a lifetime etched there: character.