Quality

7 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  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"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  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
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  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)
       
       

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  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. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  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.] 
  
  

From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:

  Quality, KY
    Zip code(s): 42268