quality

English

Etymology

From Middle English [Term?], from Old French qualité, from Latin quālitātem, accusative of quālitās, from quālis (“of what kind”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷo- (“who, how”). Cicero coined qualitas as a calque to translate the Ancient Greek word ποιότης (poiótēs, “quality”), coined by Plato from ποῖος (poîos, “of what nature, of what kind”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkwɒlɪti/
• (US, father-bother merger, weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /ˈkwɑləti/, [ˈkʰwɑɫəɾi]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /ˈkwælɪti/, /ˈkwælɪtɪ/^[1]

Noun

quality (countable and uncountable, plural qualities)

1. (uncountable) Level of excellence.

   This school is well-known for having teachers of high quality.

   Quality of life is usually determined by health, education, and income.

   • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter I, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:

     “I'll tell you what you're going to do. Have you a clean shirt?” “Several.” “And a toothbrush?” “Two, both of the finest quality.” “Then pack them. You're coming to Brinkley tomorrow.”

   • 2019, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     He called for China’s cooperation in efforts to improve air quality.

     Audio (US)

     (file)

   • Excellence definition

     The quality of being excellent; brilliance (1 of 3 excellence definitions)
2. (countable) Something that differentiates a thing or person.

   One of the qualities of pure iron is that it does not rust easily.

   While being impulsive can be great for artists, it is not a desirable quality for engineers.

   Security, stability, and efficiency are good qualities of an operating system.

   • 1601, Ben Jonson, Poetaster or The Arraignment: […], London: […] [R. Bradock] for M[atthew] L[ownes] […], published 1602, →OCLC, Act III:

     Tuc[ca]. […] Can thy Author doe it impudently enough? / Hiſt[rio]. O, I warrant you, Captaine: and ſpitefully inough too; he ha's one of the moſt ouerflowing villanous wits, in Rome. He will ſlander any man that breathes; If he diſguſt him. / Tucca. I'le know the poor, egregious, nitty Raſcall; and he haue ſuch commendable Qualities, I'le cheriſh him: […]

   • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XX, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:

     “That's life,” she said, and buzzed off to keep her vigil, leaving me kicking myself because I'd forgotten to say anything about the quality of mercy not being strained. It isn't, as I dare say you know, and a mention of this might just have done the trick.

   • 2010, Stanley Elkin, A Bad Man‎^[2]:

     Something about his bearing was uncommitted, as though he were checking not for some bad quality he knew Feldman had, but for some good quality he was afraid he might have.

   • Differentiate definition

     1. To make different; to change, modify.
     2. To recognize a distinction or difference between two things. (1 of 9 differentiate definitions)
3. (archaic) Position; status; rank.
   • 1690, “The Preface to the Reader”, in A Full and True Relation of the Great and Wonderful Revolution That Hapned Lately in the Kingdom of Siam in the East-Indies, London: Randal Taylor, page i:

     The firſt Solemn Embaſſy that the French King ſent to the late King of SIAM, was in the Year 1685, by Monſieur de Chaumont, who went in Quality of Ambaſſador Extraordinary […]

   • Position definition

     A place or location. (1 of 13 position definitions)

   • Status definition

     A person’s condition, position or standing relative to that of others. (1 of 7 status definitions)

   • Rank definition

     The symbol for rank.
4. (archaic) High social position. (See also the quality.)

   A peasant is not allowed to fall in love with a lady of quality.

   Membership of this golf club is limited to those of quality and wealth.

   • High definition

     Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:

     1. Very elevated; extending or being far above a base; tall; lofty. (1 of 29 high definitions)

   • Social definition

     (1 of 10 social definitions)

   • The Quality definition

     The upper class, the high society, the gentry; the people of quality.
5. (uncountable) The degree to which a man-made object or system is free from bugs and flaws, as opposed to scope of functions or quantity of items.
6. (thermodynamics) In a two-phase liquid–vapor mixture, the ratio of the mass of vapor present to the total mass of the mixture.

   • Thermodynamics definition

     The science of the conversions between heat and other forms of energy.

   • Phase definition

     A distinguishable part of a sequence or cycle occurring over time. (1 of 12 phase definitions)

   • Liquid definition

     A substance that is flowing, and keeping no shape, such as water; a substance of which the molecules, while not tending to separate from one another like those of a gas, readily change their relative position, and which therefore retains no definite shape, except that determined by the containing receptacle; an inelastic fluid. (1 of 2 liquid definitions)

   • Vapor definition

     Cloudy diffused matter such as mist, steam or fumes suspended in the air. (1 of 6 vapor definitions)

   • Ratio definition

     A number representing a comparison between two named things. (1 of 4 ratio definitions)

   • Mass definition

     Matter, material.

     1. A quantity of matter cohering together so as to make one body, or an aggregation of particles or things which collectively make one body or quantity, usually of considerable size.
     2. Precious metal, especially gold or silver.
     3. The quantity of matter which a body contains, irrespective of its bulk or volume. It is one of four fundamental properties of matter. SI unit of mass: kilogram.
     4. A medicinal substance made into a cohesive, homogeneous lump, of consistency suitable for making pills; as, blue mass.
     5. A palpable or visible abnormal globular structure; a tumor.
     6. Excess body weight, especially in the form of muscle hypertrophy.
     7. Synonym of weight

     (1 of 13 mass definitions)
7. (emergency medicine, countable) The third step in OPQRST where the responder investigates what the NOI/MOI feels like.

   To identify quality try asking, "what does it feel like?".

   • Emergency Medicine definition

     The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of trauma, injuries and other sudden illnesses

   • Opqrst definition

     The rapid assessment of a patient's condition during an emergency response.

   • Noi definition

     Initialism of notice of intent. (1 of 2 NOI definitions)

   • Moi definition

     Initialism of method of injury.
8. (countable, UK, journalism) A newspaper with relatively serious, high-quality content.
   • 1998, Bill Coxall, Lynton Robins, Robert Leach, Contemporary British Politics, page 164:

     It is argued that in the last ten years or so, quality broadsheet newspapers have become more like the tabloids. Anthony Sampson has argued that 'the frontier between the qualities and popular papers has virtually disappeared'.

   • Journalism definition

     The activity or profession of being a journalist. (1 of 3 journalism definitions)

   • Newspaper definition

     A publication, usually published daily or weekly and usually printed on cheap, low-quality paper, containing news and other articles. (1 of 2 newspaper definitions)

   • Serious definition

     Without humor or expression of happiness; grave in manner or disposition (1 of 4 serious definitions)

   • Content definition

     (1 of 2 content definitions)

Usage notes

• Adjectives often applied to "quality": high, good, excellent, exceptional, great, outstanding, satisfactory, acceptable, sufficient, adequate, poor, low, bad, inferior, dubious, environmental, visual, optical, industrial, total, artistic, educational, physical, musical, chemical, spiritual, intellectual, architectural, mechanical.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:characteristic

Hyponyms

• human quality
• industrial quality

Coordinate terms

• (a property that differentiates): quiddity

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

quality (comparative more quality, superlative most quality)

1. Being of good worth, well made, fit for purpose; of high quality.

   We only sell quality products.

   That was a quality game by Jim Smith.

   A quality system ensures products meet customer requirements.

   • 1930, Stella Blum, Everyday Fashion of the Thirties as pictured in Sears Catalogs, published 1986, page 4:

     A model for discriminating women! A "quality" coat in every sense!

   • a. 2003, John Ahier, John Beck, Rob Moore, quoting Harriet (a Cambridge University student), Graduate Citizens?: Issues of Citizenship and Higher Education‎^[3], Routledge, published 2003, →ISBN, page 114:

     I mean a lot of the money that obviously goes into universities and their libraries and their facilities and their academics and stuff but I mean I haven’t had a very quality degree to be honest. I think the quality of my education has been crap . . .

   • 2004, Vance M. Thompson, MD, edited by J. Kevin Belville and Ronald J. Smith, LASIK Techniques: Pearls and Pitfalls‎^[4], SLACK Incorporated, →ISBN, page 187:

     For one I wanted to have what I considered a very quality tracking device.

   • 2008, Fay Vincent, quoting Carl Erskine, We Would Have Played for Nothing: Baseball Stars of the 1950s and 1960s Talk About the Game They Loved‎^[5], Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 144:

     A very quality ball club; that was the Braves.

   • Good definition

     1. Acting in the interest of what is beneficial, ethical, or moral. (1 of 32 good definitions)

   • Worth definition

     Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for. (1 of 4 worth definitions)

   • Well definition

     Accurately, competently, satisfactorily. (1 of 5 well definitions)

   • Made definition

     A grub or maggot.

   • Fit definition

     Suitable, proper. (1 of 5 fit definitions)

   • Purpose definition

     The end for which something is done, is made or exists. (1 of 5 purpose definitions)

Derived terms

• qualityness

Related terms

• qualia
• qualitative

Translations

References

Further reading

• “quality”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “quality”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “quality”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.