I. ˈkwä-lə-tē noun
( plural -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. : aristocracy
4.
a. : a distinguishing attribute : characteristic
possesses many fine qualities
b. archaic : an acquired skill : accomplishment
5. : the character in a logical proposition of being affirmative or negative
6. : vividness of hue
7.
a. : timbre
b. : the identifying character of a vowel sound determined chiefly by the resonance of the vocal chambers in uttering it
8. : 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
II. adjective
Date: 1936
: being of high quality