Definition of "character action"

I hear this phrase tossed around a lot when talking about games like Ninja Gaiden, God of War, Darksiders, Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, etc but I was surprised to see that it wasn't a part of the "Concepts" section of GB.  I wanted to add it but then I stopped and thought I should get a general consensus on the definition before adding it. 
 
So... what's you definition of character action?

I assume it's any game that has melee combat where you play as only one or two characters. I think the term in itself is too abstract (not abstract enough to add to the wiki), but I hardly ever see the term being used. Hack'n slash is more appropriate, I think.