QUANTITIES
Noun
quantities
plural of quantity
Anagrams
• equistatin
Source: Wiktionary
QUANTITY
Quan"ti*ty, n.; pl. Quantities. Etym: [F. quantite, L. quantitas, fr.
quantus bow great, how much, akin to quam bow, E. how, who. See Who.]
1. The attribute of being so much, and not more or less; the property
of being measurable, or capable of increase and decrease,
multiplication and division; greatness; and more concretely, that
which answers the question "How much"; measure in regard to bulk or
amount; determinate or comparative dimensions; measure; amount; bulk;
extent; size. Hence, in specific uses:
(a) (Logic) The extent or extension of a general conception, that is,
the number of species or individuals to which it may be applied;
also, its content or comprehension, that is, the number of its
constituent qualities, attributes, or relations.
(b) (Gram.) The measure of a syllable; that which determines the time
in which it is pronounced; as, the long or short quantity of a vowel
or syllable.
(c) (Mus.) The relative duration of a tone.
2. That which can be increased, diminished, or measured; especially
(Math.), anything to which mathematical processes are applicable.
Note: Quantity is discrete when it is applied to separate objects, as
in number; continuous, when the parts are connected, either in
succession, as in time, motion, etc., or in extension, as by the
dimensions of space, viz., length, breadth, and thickness.
3. A determinate or estimated amount; a sum or bulk; a certain
portion or part; sometimes, a considerable amount; a large portion,
bulk, or sum; as, a medicine taken in quantities, that is, in large
quantities.
The quantity of extensive and curious information which he had picked
up during many months of desultory, but not unprofitable, study.
Macaulay.
Quantity of estate (Law), its time of continuance, or degree of
interest, as in fee, for life, or for years. Wharton (Law Dict. ) --
Quantity of matter, in a body, its mass, as determined by its weight,
or by its momentum under a given velocity.
– Quantity of motion (Mech.), in a body, the relative amount of its
motion, as measured by its momentum, varying as the product of mass
and velocity.
– Known quantities (Math.), quantities whose values are given.
– Unknown quantities (Math.), quantities whose values are sought.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition