Which characteristic specifically describes an object-oriented language?

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is characterized by the concept of encapsulating data and operations within objects. This characteristic is fundamental to OOP and distinguishes it from procedural programming, which is structured around functions rather than objects. In OOP, objects are instances of classes, which define the data (attributes) and the operations (methods) that can be performed on that data. This encapsulation of data and methods within objects allows for more modular, reusable, and maintainable code.

The characteristics of object-oriented programming languages are well-documented and include encapsulation, abstraction, inheritance, and polymorphism. These principles are foundational to OOP and are supported by languages like C++, Java, and Python12345.