qual·i·ty
(kwŏĺĭ-tē)
[Middle English qualite, from Old French, from Latin quālitās, quālitāt-, from quālis, of what kind.]
noun: pl., -ties.
- An inherent or distinguishing characteristic; a property.
- A personal trait, especially a character trait: “The most vital quality a soldier can possess is self-confidence” (George S. Patton)
- Essential character; nature: “The quality of mercy is not strain'd” (Shakespeare)
- Superiority of kind: an intellect of unquestioned quality.
- Degree or grade of excellence: yard goods of low quality.
- High social position.
- Those in a high social position.
- Music Timbre, as determined by harmonics: a voice with a distinctive metallic quality.
- Linguistics The character of a vowel sound determined by the size and shape of the oral cavity and the amount of resonance with which the sound is produced.
- Logic The positive or negative character of a proposition.
adjective
- Having a high degree of excellence: the importance of quality health care.
synonyms:
quality, property, attribute, character, trait These nouns signify a feature that distinguishes or identifies someone or something: explained the qualities of noble gases; tested the resilient property of rubber; knew the attributes of a fine wine; liked the rural character of the ranch; had positive traits such as kindness and generosity.
