Properties that describe the characteristics of entities are called:entities.attributes.identifiers.relationships.

In the context of database design and data modeling, the properties that describe the characteristics of entities are referred to as attributes.

1. Entities are the objects or things in the domain that have a distinct existence. For example, in a school database, students and courses can be considered entities.

2. Attributes are the properties or characteristics of those entities. For example, a student's attributes may include name, age, student ID, and enrollment date.

3. Identifiers (also known as primary keys) are specific types of attributes that uniquely identify an entity within a database. For instance, a student ID serves as an identifier for a student entity.

4. Relationships depict how two or more entities are related to each other. For example, a relationship may exist between students and courses, indicating which students are enrolled in which courses.

In summary, the term you are looking for is attributes, as they describe the characteristics of entities.