quality

Pronunciation: /ˈkwɒl.ɪ.ti/

Reading level: medium

Estimated CEFR level: A2 — Elementary

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; --Shakespeare
  2. noun a degree or grade of excellence or worth
  3. noun a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something

Etymology

From Middle English qualite, from Old French qualité, from Latin quālitās, quālitātem, from quālis (“of what kind”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷo- (“who, how”). Cicero coined qualitas as a calque to translate the Ancient Greek word ποιότης (poiótēs, “quality”), coined by Plato from ποῖος (poîos, “of what nature, of what kind”).

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
attribute
Narrower (hyponyms)
wholesomeness, subjectivism, expressiveness, extremeness, immateriality, bad

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