[qual.i.ty] n, pl -ties [ME qualite, fr. OF qualite, fr. L qualitat-, qualitas, fr. qualis of what kind; akin to L qui who--more at who] (14c) 1 a: peculiar and essential character: nature "her ethereal ~ --Gay Talese" b: an inherent feature: property "had a ~ of stridence, dissonance --Roald Dahl" c: capacity, role "in the ~ of reader and companion --Joseph Conrad"
2. a: degree of excellence: grade "the ~ of competing air service --Current Biog." b: superiority in kind "merchandise of ~" 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 syn 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".
[2]quality adj (1701): being of high quality