QUALITY
quality
(adjective) of high social status; “people of quality”; “a quality family”
choice, prime, prize, quality, select
(adjective) of superior grade; “choice wines”; “prime beef”; “prize carnations”; “quality paper”; “select peaches”
quality
(noun) an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; “the quality of mercy is not strained”--Shakespeare
quality, caliber, calibre
(noun) a degree or grade of excellence or worth; “the quality of students has risen”; “an executive of low caliber”
timbre, timber, quality, tone
(noun) (music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound); “the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely”; “the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet”
quality, character, lineament
(noun) a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something; “each town has a quality all its own”; “the radical character of our demands”
quality
(noun) high social status; “a man of quality”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
quality (countable and uncountable, plural qualities)
(uncountable) Level of excellence.
(countable) A property or an attribute that differentiates a thing or person.
(archaic) High social position. (See also the quality.)
(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.
(thermodynamics) In a two-phase liquid–vapor mixture, the ratio of the mass of vapor present to the total mass of the mixture.
(emergency medicine, countable) The third step in OPQRST where the responder investigates what the NOI/MOI feels like.
(countable, UK, journalism) A newspaper with relatively serious, high-quality content.
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 characteristic
Hyponyms
• human quality
• industrial quality
Coordinate terms
• (a property that differentiates): quiddity
Adjective
quality (comparative more quality, superlative most quality)
Being of good worth, well made, fit for purpose.
Source: Wiktionary
Qual"i*ty, n.; pl. Qualities. Etym: [F. qualité, L. qualitas, fr.
qualis how constituted, as; akin to E. which. See Which.]
1. The condition of being of such and such a sort as distinguished
from others; nature or character relatively considered, as of goods;
character; sort; rank.
We lived most joyful, obtaining acquaintance with many of the city
not of the meanest quality. Bacon
2. Special or temporary character; profession; occupation; assumed or
asserted rank, part, or position.
I made that inquiry in quality of an antiquary. Gray.
3. That which makes, or helps to make, anything such as it is;
anything belonging to a subject, or predicable of it; distinguishing
property, characteristic, or attribute; peculiar power, capacity, or
virtue; distinctive trait; as, the tones of a flute differ from those
of a violin in quality; the great quality of a statesman.
Note: Qualities, in metaphysics, are primary or secondary. Primary
are those essential to the existence, and even the conception, of the
thing, as of matter or spirit Secondary are those not essential to
such a conception.
4. An acquired trait; accomplishment; acquisition.
He had those qualities of horsemanship, dancing, and fencing which
accompany a good breeding. Clarendon.
5. Superior birth or station; high rank; elevated character. "Persons
of quality." Bacon. Quality binding, a kind of worsted tape used in
Scotland for binding carpets, and the like. The quality, those of
high rank or station, as distinguished from the masses, or common
people; the nobility; the gentry.
I shall appear at the masquerade dressed up in my feathers, that the
quality may see how pretty they will look in their traveling habits.
Addison.
Syn.
– Property; attribute; nature; peculiarity; character; sort; rank;
disposition; temper.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition