quality

Main Entry:: ¹qual·i·ty
Pronunciation:: \ˈkwä-lə-tē\
Function:: noun
Inflected Form(s):: plural qual·i·ties
Etymology:: Middle English qualite, from Anglo-French qualité, from Latin qualitat-, qualitas, from qualis of what kind; akin to Latin qui who — more at who
Date:: 14th century

1 a: peculiar and essential character : nature <her ethereal quality — Gay Talese> b: an inherent feature : property <had a quality of stridence, dissonance — Roald Dahl> c: capacity , role <in the quality of reader and companion — Joseph Conrad>2 a: degree of excellence : grade <the quality of competing air service — Current Biography> b: superiority in kind <merchandise of quality>3 a: social status : rank b: aristocracy4 a: a distinguishing attribute : characteristic <possesses many fine qualities> barchaic : an acquired skill : accomplishment5: the character in a logical proposition of being affirmative or negative6: vividness of hue7 a: timbre b: the identifying character of a vowel sound determined chiefly by the resonance of the vocal chambers in uttering it8: the attribute of an elementary sensation that makes it fundamentally unlike any other sensation

synonyms quality , property , character , attribute mean an intelligible feature by which a thing may be identified. quality is a general term applicable to any trait or characteristic whether individual or generic <material with a silky quality>. property implies a characteristic that belongs to a thing's essential nature and may be used to describe a type or species <the property of not conducting heat>. character applies to a peculiar and distinctive quality of a thing or a class <remarks of an unseemly character>. attribute implies a quality ascribed to a thing or a being <the traditional attributes of a military hero>.

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