Word Study
quality
CIDE DICTIONARY
quality, n. [F. qualité, L. qualitas, fr. qualis how constituted, as; akin to E. which. See Which.].
- 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. [1913 Webster]"We lived most joyful, obtaining acquaintance with many of the city not of the meanest quality." [1913 Webster]
- Special or temporary character; profession; occupation; assumed or asserted rank, part, or position. [1913 Webster]"I made that inquiry in quality of an antiquary." [1913 Webster]
- 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. [1913 Webster]" 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." [1913 Webster]
- An acquired trait; accomplishment; acquisition. [1913 Webster]"He had those qualities of horsemanship, dancing, and fencing which accompany a good breeding." [1913 Webster]
- Superior birth or station; high rank; elevated character. Bacon. [1913 Webster]"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." [1913 Webster]
Syn. -- Property; attribute; nature; peculiarity; character; sort; rank; disposition; temper.
OXFORD DICTIONARY
quality, n. (pl. -ies)
1 the degree of excellence of a thing (of good quality; poor in quality).
2 a general excellence (their work has quality). b (attrib.) of high quality ( a quality product).
3 a distinctive attribute or faculty; a characteristic trait.
4 the relative nature or kind or character of a thing (is made in three qualities).
5 the distinctive timbre of a voice or sound.
6 archaic high social standing (people of quality).
7 Logic the property of a proposition's being affirmative or negative.
1 the degree of excellence of a thing (of good quality; poor in quality).
2 a general excellence (their work has quality). b (attrib.) of high quality ( a quality product).
3 a distinctive attribute or faculty; a characteristic trait.
4 the relative nature or kind or character of a thing (is made in three qualities).
5 the distinctive timbre of a voice or sound.
6 archaic high social standing (people of quality).
7 Logic the property of a proposition's being affirmative or negative.
Idiom
quality control a system of maintaining standards in manufactured products by testing a sample of the output against the specification.
Etymology
ME f. OF qualit{eacute} f. L qualitas -tatis f. qualis of what kind
THESAURUS
quality
Al, Grade A, acquired taste, advantageousness, affection, affirmation, agreeableness, air, ancestry, appreciation of excellence, arete, aristocracy, aristocraticalness, aroma, atmosphere, attribute, aura, auspiciousness, badge, beneficialness, benevolence, benignity, birth, blood, blue blood, blue-ribbon, body-build, brand, cachet, caliber, capacity, cast, character, characteristic, characteristics, choiceness, civilized taste, civilizedness, class, climate, cogency, complexion, composition, condition, configuration, constituents, constitution, crasis, cultivated taste, cultivation, culture, cut, daintiness, delicacy, desert, dharma, diathesis, differentia, differential, dignity, discrimination, disposition, distinction, distinctive feature, earmark, elegance, element, elite, eminence, ethos, excellence, excellency, expedience, factor, fairness, fastidiousness, favorableness, feature, feel, feeling, fiber, figure, fine, fineness, finesse, first-class, first-rate, first-rateness, flavor, flower, footing, frame, genius, genteelness, gentility, gentry, good taste, goodliness, goodness, grace, gracefulness, gracility, graciosity, graciousness, grade, grain, grandeur, gust, habit, hallmark, healthiness, helpfulness, honorable descent, hue, humor, humors, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, ilk, importance, impress, impression, index, individualism, individuality, keynote, kind, kindness, lineaments, makeup, mannerism, mark, marking, merit, milieu, mold, nature, niceness, nicety, nobility, noble birth, nobleness, note, odor, overtone, parameter, part, particularity, patriciate, peculiarity, perfection, physique, place, pleasantness, polish, position, predication, prime, profitableness, prominence, property, quirk, rank, refinement, relation, rewardingness, role, royalty, savor, seal, sense, shape, singularity, situation, skillfulness, smack, society, somatotype, sophistication, sort, soundness, specialty, spirit, stamp, standing, state, station, stature, status, streak, stripe, subtlety, suchness, superbness, superior, superiority, supremacy, system, taint, tang, taste, tastefulness, temper, temperament, tendency, tenor, token, tone, trait, trick, type, undertone, upper class, usefulness, validity, value, vein, virtue, virtuousness, way, wholeness, worthROGET THESAURUS
quality
Intrinsicality
N intrinsicality, inbeing, inherence, inhesion, subjectiveness, ego, egohood, essence, noumenon, essentialness, essential part, quintessence, incarnation, quiddity, gist, pith, marrow, core, sap, lifeblood, backbone, heart, soul, important part, principle, nature, constitution, character, type, quality, crasis, diathesis, habit, temper, temperament, spirit, humor, grain, disposition, endowment, capacity, capability, moods, declensions, features, aspects, peculiarities, idiosyncrasy, oddity, idiocrasy, diagnostics, derived from within, subjective, intrinsic, intrinsical, fundamental, normal, implanted, inherent, essential, natural, innate, inborn, inbred, ingrained, inwrought, coeval with birth, genetous, haematobious, syngenic, radical, incarnate, thoroughbred, hereditary, inherited, immanent, congenital, congenite, connate, running in the blood, ingenerate, ingenite, indigenous, in the grain, bred in the bone, instinctive, inward, internal, to the manner born, virtual, characteristic, invariable, incurable, incorrigible, ineradicable, fixed, intrinsically, at bottom, in the main, in effect, practically, virtually, substantially, au fond, fairly, character is higher than intellect, come give us a taste of your quality, magnos homines virtute metimur non fortuna, non numero haec judicantur sed pondere, vital spark of heavenly flame.Value
N worth, rate, value, intrinsic value, quality, par value, valuation, appraisal, assessment, appraisement, price current, market price, quotation, fair price, going price, what it will fetch, what the market will bear, money's worth, penny's worth, worth, cost (price), valuable, estimable, worthwhile, worthy, full of worth, precious (expensive), worth the price, worth a king's ransom, accountants who know the price of everything and t.Power
N power, potency, potentiality, jiva, puissance, might, force, energy, dint, right hand, right arm, ascendency, sway, control, prepotency, prepollence, almightiness, omnipotence, authority, strength, ability, ableness, competency, efficacy, efficiency, productivity, expertise (skill), validity, cogency, enablement, vantage ground, influence, pressure, conductivity, elasticity, gravity, electricity, magnetism, galvanism, voltaic electricity, voltaism, electromagnetism, atomic power, nuclear power, thermonuclear power, fuel cell, hydraulic power, water power, hydroelectric power, solar power, solar energy, solar panels, tidal power, wind power, attraction, vis inertiae, vis mortua, vis viva, potential energy, dynamic energy, dynamic friction, dynamic suction, live circuit, live rail, live wire, capability, capacity, quid valeant humeri quid ferre recusent, faculty, quality, attribute, endowment, virtue, gift, property, qualification, susceptibility, powerful, puissant, potential, capable, able, equal to, up to, cogent, valid, efficient, productive, effective, effectual, efficacious, adequate, competent, multipotent, plenipotent, omnipotent, almighty, forcible, (energetic), influential, productive, powerfully, by virtue of, by dint of, a toute force, dos moi pou sto kai kino ten gen, eripuit coelo fulmen sceptrumque tyrannis, fortis cadere cedere non potest.Tendency
N tendency, aptness, aptitude, proneness, proclivity, bent, turn, tone, bias, set, leaning to, predisposition, inclination, propensity, susceptibility, conatus, nisus, liability, quality, nature, temperament, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, cast, vein, grain, humor, mood, drift, conduciveness, conducement, applicability, subservience, tending, conducive, working towards, in a fair way to, calculated to, liable, subservient, useful, subsidiary, for, whither.Nobility
N nobility, rank, condition, distinction, optimacy, blood, pur sang, birth, high descent, order, quality, gentility, blue blood of Castile, ancien regime, high life, haute monde, upper classes, upper ten thousand, the four hundred, elite, aristocracy, great folks, fashionable world, peer, peerage, house of lords, house of peers, lords, lords temporal and spiritual, noblesse, noble, nobleman, lord, lordling, grandee, magnifico, hidalgo, daimio, daimyo, samurai, shizoku, don, donship, aristocrat, swell, three- tailed bashaw, gentleman, squire, squireen, patrician, laureate, gentry, gentlefolk, squirarchy, better sort magnates, primates, optimates, pantisocracy, king, atheling, prince, duke, marquis, marquisate, earl, viscount, baron, thane, banneret, baronet, baronetcy, knight, knighthood, count, armiger, laird, signior, seignior, esquire, boyar, margrave, vavasour, emir, ameer, scherif, sharif, effendi, wali, sahib, chevalier, maharaja, nawab, palsgrave, pasha, rajah, waldgrave, princess, begum, duchess, marchioness, countess, lady, dame, memsahib, Do$a, maharani, rani, personage of distinction, man of distinction, personage of rank, man of rank, personage of mark, man of mark, notables, notabilities, celebrity, bigwig, magnate, great man, star, superstar, big bug, big gun, great gun, gilded rooster, magni nominis umbra, every inch a king, noble, exalted, of rank, princely, titled, patrician, aristocratic, high-, well-born, of gentle blood, genteel, comme il faut, gentlemanlike, courtly, highly respectable, in high quarters, Adel sitzt im Gemuthe nicht im Gebluete, adelig und edel sind zweierlei, noblesse oblige.For further exploring for "quality" in Webster Dictionary Online