Quality \Qual"i*ty\, n.; pl. Qualities. [F. qualit['e], 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.
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We lived most joyful, obtaining acquaintance with
many of the city not of the meanest quality. --Bacon
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2. Special or temporary character; profession; occupation;
assumed or asserted rank, part, or position.
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I made that inquiry in quality of an antiquary.
--Gray.
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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.
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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.
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4. An acquired trait; accomplishment; acquisition.
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He had those qualities of horsemanship, dancing, and
fencing which accompany a good breeding.
--Clarendon.
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5. Superior birth or station; high rank; elevated character.
"Persons of quality." --Bacon.
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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.
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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.
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Syn: Property; attribute; nature; peculiarity; character;
sort; rank; disposition; temper.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
quality
adj 1: of superior grade; "choice wines"; "prime beef"; "prize
carnations"; "quality paper"; "select peaches" [syn: choice,
prime(a), prize, select]
2: of high social status; "people of quality"; "a quality
family"
n 1: an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or
someone; "the quality of mercy is not
strained"--Shakespeare
2: a degree or grade of excellence or worth; "the quality of
students has risen"; "an executive of low caliber" [syn: caliber,
calibre]
3: 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" [syn:
character, lineament]
4: (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" [syn: timbre, timber, tone]
5: high social status; "a man of quality"
WordNet (r) 2.0
222 Moby Thesaurus words for "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, worth
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
quality
The totality of features and characteristics of a product or
service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied
needs. Not to be mistaken for "degree of excellence" or
"fitness for use" which meet only part of the definition.
[{ISO8402].
(1995-11-10)
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)
QUALITY, persons. The state or condition of a person.
2. Two contrary qualities cannot be in the same person at the same
time. Dig. 41, 10, 4.
3. Every one is presumed to know the quality of the person with whom he
is contracting.
4. In the United States, the people happily are all upon an equality in
their civil and political rights.
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
QUALITY, pleading. That which distinguishes one thing from another of the
same kind.
2. It is in general necessary, when the declaration alleges an injury
to the goods and chattels, or any contract relating to them, that the
quality should be stated and it is also essential, in an action for the
recovery of real estate, that its quality should be shown; as, whether it
consists of houses, lands, or other hereditaments, whether the lands are
meadow, pasture or arable, &c. The same rule requires that, in an action for
an injury to real property, the quality should be shown. Steph. Pl. 214,
215. Vide, as to the various qualities, Ayl. Pand. [60.]
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
Quality, KY
Zip code(s): 42268
U.S. Gazetteer (1990)
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