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quantityn. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French quantité; Latin quantitāt-, quantitās. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman quantité, quantitee and Old French, Middle French quantité (French quantité ) specified or definite number or amount (end of the 12th cent. as quantiteit ), size, extent, dimensions (13th cent.), amount, magnitude (end of the 13th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman, originally with reference to immaterial things, e.g. (in a legal context) the gravity of a crime), large amount, abundance (of a thing) (mid 14th cent.), property of being measurable (second half of the 14th cent.), sum of money (a1412 or earlier in Anglo-Norman), aggregation or collection of persons or things (first half of the 15th cent.), thing that is measurable (1484), length in time, duration (late 15th cent.), length or duration of a syllable or vowel (1549, originally with reference to a syllable; the use in sense 8c with reference to a note is apparently not paralleled in French until later: 1743) and its etymon classical Latin quantitāt-, quantitās size, magnitude, amount, sum of money, large quantity, in post-classical Latin also length of time (6th cent.), property of things that is measurable (from 12th cent. in British sources) < quantus how much, how great (see quantum n.) + -tās (see -ty suffix1; compare -ity suffix).Compare Old Occitan cantitat , quantitat (both second half of the 13th cent. or earlier; Occitan quantitat ), Catalan quantitat (early 13th cent. as † cantitat ), Spanish cantidad (first half of the 13th cent.), Portuguese quantidade (13th cent.), Italian quantità (mid 13th cent. or earlier as †quantitae , †quantitate in sense 1, a1576 in sense 8b), and also Middle Dutch quantiteit (Dutch kwantiteit ), Middle Low German (rare) quantitēt , German Quantität (16th cent.). With in quantity at sense 10b compare French en quantité (1665). The specific use in logic in sense 9 is apparently not paralleled in French until considerably later (1771). With the adverbial phrases great quantity, etc., compare Middle French a moult grant quantité in abundance (first half of the 14th cent.). On the β. forms see discussion at Q n. I. An amount, a portion. 1. the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] > a quantity or amount the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] > a definite or specified quantity or amount a1325 (2011) v. 6 Ant thulke..sullen ben iiuged to þe kinges prison, ant fram þat maken redempcioun, after þe quantite ant te maner of þe tressepas. a1382 (Bodl. 959) 3 Esdras vi. 29 Of þe trauaile of þe tributis of cirie, choeles, & fenyces, diligently a quantite to ben ȝyuyn to þese men, to þe sacrifise of þe lord, to sorobabel, prefect. ?a1425 (Egerton) (1889) 31 (MED) Of þis liquour þai giffe a lytill quantitee til pilgrimes. ?a1425 f. 98 Þer schal neuer be take oute of þe bone of þe braine panne no more quantitie þan sufficeþ to þe extraccioun oþer mundificacioun of þe quiture. 1484 W. Caxton tr. xi. f. Cxxxj A grete dele or quantite of mostard. 1526 W. Bonde ii. sig. Riii A lytell quantite of sande in an other lytell bagge. 1584 R. Hakluyt Let. 7 Jan. in D. B. Quinn (1979) III. 272/1 Perosse... Sawe great quantities of buff hides which they brought home. 1604 W. Shakespeare v. i. 267 Forty thousand brothers Could not with all theyr quantitie of loue Make vp my summe. View more context for this quotation 1633 T. Stafford ii. viii. 180 Her Majesties Magazines of Victualls, Munition, and Treasure residing there in great quantities. 1662 in R. Pitcairn (1833) III. 605 We tak a litle qwantitie owt of each barrell or stand of eall. 1696 N. Luttrell Diary in (1857) IV. 4 Having received great quantities of broad money from Exeter in order to clip it. 1731 A. Stuart in (Royal Soc.) 36 356 A small Quantity of filtrated Bile. 1736 N. Bailey p. IC The ice must be lai'd round them on every side; and let a good quantity be laid on the top. 1752 S. Johnson No. 203. ⁋10 A certain quantity or measure of renown. 1793 T. Beddoes 223 A small quantity of azotic air. 1825 C. Lamb Stage Illusion in 2nd Ser. A sufficient quantity of illusion for the purposes of dramatic interest. 1863 July 78 A certain quantity of snow. 1879 A. W. Momerie i. 16 Justice..can only be appeased by wreaking out a certain quantity of agony as an equivalent for a certain quantity of sin. 1907 G. M. Norman ii. i. 49 Add 30 grammes of nitrobenzene, a small quantity at a time. 1927 3 Aug. 8 Such a quantity of the popular frozen delicacy [sc. ice-cream]. 1974 S. J. Perelman Let. 16 Dec. in (1987) 296 I just get flushed and inarticulate on a small quantity of vermouth. 2006 4 Sept. 40/3 He has acquired a staggering quantity of information about things like seventeenth-century window glass. the world > relative properties > number > plurality > great number, numerousness > [noun] > a large number or multitude c1390 in C. Brown (1924) 144 Euer-vch an hour, Of his strengþe he leost a quantite. a1475 (a1447) O. Bokenham Mappula Angliae in (1887) 10 10 If a mane..ley..þer-by a quantite of mete & drynk..he shalle fynde his werke made one þe best wise. a1500 (?c1400) (1880) 585 Offred them euerychon a quantite of gold. 1535 1 Sam. xxx. 12 They..gaue him a quantite of fygges, & two quantities of rasyns. 1628 R. Sanderson i. 47 So into these spirituall sacrifices of Thanksgiving,..wee infuse a quantity of our owne swinke and sweate. 1731 J. Arbuthnot vi. 82 Warm antiscorbutical Plants taken in Quantities will occasion stinking Breath. 1771 (Royal Soc.) 60 10 I observed quantities of juniper and tanzey. 1832 W. Macgillivray xix. 283 These Indians swallow quantities of earth for the purpose of allaying hunger. 1852 H. B. Stowe II. xxxiii. 192 Taking a quantity of cotton from her basket, she placed it in his. 1883 18 Oct. 4/7 Yesterday..a quantity of wreckage was cast up at Southport. 1901 M. C. Dickerson iii. 320 Any tightly covered box or dish, with a quantity of wet sawdust at the bottom, will serve for relaxing insects. 1942 2 Nov. 4/4 Mrs. Colt..is now using the Club's hospital facilities to can quantities of the delicious new butternut squash. 1968 ‘A. D'Arcangelo’ 64 To fill out her levis and warm-up jacket, she carefully wrapped her limbs in quantities of newspaper. 2001 M. Suri (2002) i. 18 Mrs. Pathak melted a quantity of ghee in a kadai. the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] > some, any, or indefinite amount > as related to amount of which it is part > amount or portion present in anything ?1490 tr. sig. Biiiv Smalle claret wyne not to new ne to myghty so it be well and proporcyonli tempred with the quantyte of clene water. 1523 J. Fitzherbert viii. f. viii As the quantite of the mast is so the lordes baylye of right ought to ley mennes swyne thervnto from Myhelmas to Martylmas. 1573 f. iiij Take the whites of egges not breaking them in anye wise..and put to them as much of the best white vinegar as shall suffice the quantite of the whites. 1611 2 Esdras iv. 50 As the fire is greater then the smoke..so the quantity which is past, did more exceede. View more context for this quotation 1657 R. Tomlinson tr. J. de Renou Physical Inst. v, in sig. Cc4v If the Mucage should be more crass, then the quantity of roots..must be augmented. 1713 G. Berkeley iii. 126 Where the Velocities are equal, it follows, the Moments are directly, as the Quantity of Matter in each. 1719 D. Defoe 146 I resolv'd to sow just the same Quantity every Year. 1789 J. Bentham xvi. 266 For exhibiting the quantity of sensible heat in a human body we have a very tolerable sort of instrument. 1837 IX. 343 The total quantity of electricity in the charge of an electrised body. 1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright 2 The force of attraction is found to increase with the quantity of electricity present. a1898 H. Bessemer (1905) xxi. 371 During the year 1881 the quantity of coal raised in Great Britain was no less than 154,184,300 tons. 1910 I. 388/2 The quantity of land ploughed by a yoke of oxen in one day was called a yoke or acre. 1954 K. Russell (ed. 2) xvii. 204 The main advantage of bucket feeding is that it does enable strict limitation of the quantity of milk consumed. 1988 Apr. 22/2 The quantity of data processing involved made it impossible to run the system before new LSIs..had been developed. 2001 27 Jan. (Weekend Suppl.) p. xix/2 It is hard to imagine that, in the 19th century, there were concerns about the quantity of timber being felled for charcoal burning and to create open grassland. the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a piece or bit > small piece 1600 W. Shakespeare v. i. 55 If I were sawed into quantities, I should make foure dozen of such berded hermites staues. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) v. iv. 23 Haue I not hideous death within my view, Retaining but a quantity of life? View more context for this quotation c1392 18 (MED) Mak thanne a narwer cercle þt be descriued vp on the same centre aryn but litel quantite fro the forthest forseid cercle in the lymbe. a1450 ( G. Chaucer ii. §30. 9 Such a quantite of latitude as shewith by thin almykanteras. 1464 V. 519/2 A Graunte..of a pece or a quantite of Lande. ?1537 R. Benese sig. Aiij It is..not spedefull to mete therewyth a great quantite of lande. 1611 R. Cotgrave Quartellée, a certaine quantitie of, or measure for, ground. 1668 Earl of Clarendon (1727) 54 The Irish were immediately put into Possession of a very great Quantity of Land taken from the English. 1701 W. Kennett (new ed.) Worthinus, a Worthine of Land, a certain quantity or dimension of Ground so call'd in the Mannor of Kingsland, Com. Hereford. 1722 D. Defoe 191 Then I entered into the manner of Peoples going over to those Countries to settle, how they had a quantity of Land given them by the Constitution of the Place. 1758 S. Hayward xiv. 408 In a race there is a quantity of ground laid out. 1792 E. Burke Let. to R. Burke in IV. 26 You would make them a grant of a sufficient quantity of your land. 1814 J. Playfair II. i. xiv. 214 A fixed star..occupies exactly the same place..within a quantity so small as to be hardly measurable. 1875 K. E. Digby i. 27 A vast quantity of the land of the kingdom was surrendered and regranted. 1951 J. C. N. Paul i. 26 In 1834 his brother had visited Texas and purchased a quantity of land there. 2006 (Nexis) 5 June The purchaser's application for a quantity of land (usually expressed in rough terms at this stage—100 acres or 250 acres, etc.). 3. the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > [noun] a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add.) f. 328 For a gret quantite [L. magnitudo] may be dyuyded and wexe lasse and lasse..but a nombre encresseþ and wexeþ endeles. 1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid xi. f. 312 A superficies is a quantitie of greater perfection then is a line. a1586 Sir P. Sidney (1595) sig. C1 So doe the Geometrician, and Arithmetician, in their diuerse sorts of quantities. 1700 (ed. 3) 133 Those Quantities are said to be commensurable, which have one Aliquot part..but Incommensurable Quantities have no Aliquot parts. 1806 C. Hutton (ed. 5) I. 201 Range the quantities according to the dimensions of some letter. 1855 D. Brewster (new ed.) II. xiv. 11 He considered quantities not as composed of indivisibles, but as generated by motion. 1881 J. C. Maxwell (ed. 2) I. 11 There are certain cases in which a quantity may be measured with reference to a line as well as with reference to an area. 1933 A. W. Barton xiii. 301 We can only measure difference in entropy, but, as with other quantities, such as height and electric potential, we choose an arbitrary zero for convenience. 1993 22 Apr. 693/1 The quantity ψ(x,t)* represents the complex conjugate of the regular wave function. 2001 Feb. 73/1 Although the attractive force of gravity is proportional to the total mass of an object, Einstein's theory of gravity also contains a quantity—called the cosmological constant, or ‘dark energy’—that pushes back. 1855 12 June 8/6 A castaway, in orthodox eyes, is a negative evil, a mere neutral quantity in the polemical strife. 1862 T. Carlyle III. xii. xi. 338 This Holy Romish Reich..has been more and ever more becoming an imaginary quantity. 1870 J. E. T. Rogers 2nd Ser. 9 Such a monarchy was a mere geographical quantity. 1922 26 Nov. 1/1 Latin temperament is a definite thing, a quantity to be reckoned with. 1972 D. Barthelme 89 A Steinway is a known quantity, whereas an analysis can succeed or fail. 1995 (Nexis) 24 Mar. 8 e Roy Hibbert seems to improve every night, going from a dubious quantity to legitimate post man in just one year. the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > [noun] > particular qualities > definite or indefinite a1425 (Lansd.) (1902) 16 (MED) Fra þe paskis til þe kalandis of nouembir sal be halden a quantite of þe salmis, als is said bi-fore. ?a1450 J. Arderne in (1914) xxiii. 122 Take a grete quantyte of wormys that schynen anyghte tyme. c1485 ( G. Hay (2005) 53 Almaist mycht nane persaue, yat ony quantitee of peple eschapit, fra the bataill. 1524 tr. J. de Bourbon sig. B.viv After the comynge of the turkes nauy in to the sayd place / it was xiii. or .xiii. dayes or they set ony ordynaunce on londe grete or small or descendynge of ony quantyte of men. 1587 in F. Avanzi tr. J. Gonzalez de Mendoza sig. B6v They brought vnto him a present of 4000. mantles of cotton both white & painted, a great quantity of handkerchiefes purled & stitched, & some rich mettal. 1611 T. Coryate sig. Q6 There is a farre greater quantity of buildings in this [sc. the Rialto] then in ours. 1642 J. Milton 28 Instead of well siz'd periods, he greets us with a quantity of thumring posies. 1716 Lady M. W. Montagu 10 Oct. (1965) I. 278 There are a vast Quantity of paintings amongst which are many fine Miniatures. 1750 W. Beawes (1752) 8 A quantity of small marshy isles. 1789 Suffolk Inventory in (1947) 27 Dec. 559/1 A quantity of hurdles. 1816 J. Austen I. iii. 38 A real, honest, old-fashioned Boarding-school, where a reasonable quantity of accomplishments were sold at a reasonable price. View more context for this quotation 1852 J. W. Carlyle II. 198 Four chairs and a quantity of pillows. 1897 M. Kingsley 241 I..find in it a quantity of pools. 1915 V. Woolf xvii. 286 Mrs. Flushing..dropped a quantity of beads, brooches, earrings, bracelets, tassels, and combs among the draperies. 1934 H. G. Wells II. ix. 783 Quite a quantity of pleasant boys and nice young men..were acting as ushers. 1988 11 64 There is a very large quantity of black and white illustrations. 2001 K. Guerrier 22/4 Chain piecing is a quick way of piecing together a quantity of patches. II. Amount, magnitude, length, etc. †5. the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > [noun] a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 49 (MED) Asia is most in quantite [L. quantitate], Europa is lasse. ?a1425 (Egerton) (1889) 96 Þare er oþer also of less quantitee, as it ware of þe mykill of a mannes thee. a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville (Vitell.) 5845 (MED) Sawh thow euere..Off manhys herte the quantyte? c1540 J. Bellenden in tr. H. Boece sig. C.iiv Fische [in Scotland]..grow in mervellus quantite. 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens i. lxix. 102 The roote is long, of the quantite of one's fingar. 1602 J. Brereton in (1902) I. 7 On the Northwest side of this Island, neere to the sea side, is a standing Lake of fresh water, almost three English miles in compasse, in the middest whereof stands a plot of wooddie ground, an acre in quantitie or not aboue. 1632 W. Lithgow vi. 298 A Dromidore, and Camel differ..not in quantity, being of one height, bredth, and length. 1668 T. Sydserff iii. 24 The party vanquish'd is to pay a Tanzy-Cake of the quantity of a Mill-stone. 1682 N. Crouch (1684) 30 Diamonds are found in many places,..their quantity is from a Pease to a Walnut. 1717 T. Blount (ed. 3) Acre, is a parcel of Land, containing in length forty Perches, and four in breadth, or to that quantity, be the length more or less. 1765 M. Murray Suppl. 96 in (ed. 2) The extreme breadth of each [block] is in the middle; they are equal in quantity, equal in length, and equal in weight, but not equal in breadth. 1830 H. Kater & D. Lardner i. 4 The quantity of a surface is called its area; and the quantity of a line..its length. 1856 W. A. Whitehead vii. 257 [They] were appointed trustees for the province, to receive the title deeds for the land, which was not to exceed one acre in quantity. the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > [noun] > a) dimension(s) 1590 J. Stockwood 48 Whether the word of measure do signifie the depth, height, length, thicknes, or any such quantitie of a thing. the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] > a definite or specified quantity or amount > an amount equal to the volume of something 1607 E. Topsell 84 Take thereof the quantity of a lintell seed. 1706 W. Salmon (ed. 3) i. iv. 151/1 Of this Balsam..the Patient may take the quantity of a pretty large Chestnut. 1721 R. Brookes i. 11 They..also prescribed the following Mixture of which the Quantity of a Hazle-Nut was to be taken now and then, two Hours before Breakfast. 1790 18 Oct. 3/5 The quantity of a nutmeg taken every evening at going to bed has been known to effect wonderful cures. 1807 M. E. Rundell 217 Take the quantity of a quartern loaf from the dough when making white bread. 6. The amount of something. the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] c1392 40 (MED) The quantite of grada & minuta þt the middel of thy thred in the meridional lyne lith fro centre aryn, the same quantite of degres & minuta is the latitude of the mone fro the eclyptik. a1425 (c1395) (Royal) (1850) Deut. iv. 7 Noon other nacioun is so greet, not in noumbre ether in bodili quantite, but in dignite. c1485 ( G. Hay (2005) 11 The cristin men..war all persewit, and put to dede jn grete quantitee. 1524 R. Copland tr. J. de Bourbon Syege Cyte of Rodes in sig. Cv To the regarde of the murdre of people done by the artyllery of the bulwarke of englande and spayne, the quantite was suche that a man coude not perceyue nor se ony grounde of the dyches. a1540 (c1460) G. Hay tr. (1974) 3508 Thay ar sa huge and grete of quantetie. 1581 N. Burne in (S.T.S.) 135 To mak Chalices of gold and siluer in mair quantitie and aboundance nor befoir. 1656 J. Smith 87 Clysters in great quantity if you would scowre the guts. 1697 W. Dampier iii. 38 There grow on this Coast Vinelloes in great quantity, with which Chocolate is perfumed. 1809 M. G. Lewis 97 (stage direct.) The stones fall in great quantity. 1881 25 July 10/6 Up to the beginning of last week herrings had been poor in quality and not very numerous in quantity. 1939 E. A. Bessey (new ed.) viii. 202 They are poisonous when eaten in large quantity. 1990 Mar. 108/1 Through most of the 1980s, the National League was generally viewed as superior to the American League, both in quantity of good teams and top stars. 1992 C. A. Smith & E. J. Wood iii. 61 Liver cells..can be prepared in large quantity by perfusion of the liver with the enzyme collagenase. the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add.) f. 97v While humours haueþ defaute in quantite & mowe nouȝt be wast by hete..þey beþ I-fonge in þe holouȝnesse of membres & rottiþ. ?a1425 (Egerton) (1889) 142 Of þaim þai gader boumbe in grete quantitee. a1500 tr. Lanfranc (Wellcome) f. 25 (MED) If the blod be kyndelyche to muche in quantite, it makythe swellyng. 1539 T. Elyot (new ed.) 36 a Ale and bere..do ingender more grosse vapours, and corrupt humors, than wine doth, beinge drunke in lyke excesse of quantitie. 1614 S. Latham i. vi. 23 Adding vnto the inke of a doue as much cleane washt flannell in quantitie, as may make her a reasonable casting. 1683 T. Tryon xi. 303 Of the Quantity of Childrens Food. 1769 II. 64 Fern, which formerly grew in great Quantity there. 1794 R. J. Sulivan I. 245 The nocturnal emanations of leaves, and continual evaporations of flowers and of fruits, do not diminish in quality in winter..only in quantity. 1849 H. M. Noad (ed. 3) 188 The quantity of the Electric current bears a relation to the size of the plates. 1908 G. Jekyll xiii. 116 The foliage, though sparing in quantity, is distinct and handsome. 1958 (St. John Ambulance Assoc.) xxii. 266 To calculate the quantity of chlorides take ten drops of urine and add one drop of 20 per cent potassium chromate. 1988 R. Tisserand (1990) vii. 176 Peppermint herb is grown extensively in the USA and is the number three essential oil in terms of quantity. the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] > of immaterial things a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add.) f. 79 In traueile me schal take hede of..quantite..wheþir hit be to moche [L. intensa] oþir to lite [L. remissa]. 1432 IV. 403/1 There should no man ben amerced bote after the quantite of his trespas. a1500 (?a1425) tr. (Lamb.) 106 (MED) Chese a sotell man..to shewe þe quantyte of þy hynes. ?a1525 (c1450) Christ's Burial & Resurrection i. l. 621 in F. J. Furnivall (1896) 192 After the whantite of sorofull remembrance. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iv. ii. 17 I loue thee..How much the quantity, the waight as much, As I do loue my Father. View more context for this quotation 1647 N. Bacon 150 Fine and pledges shall be according to the quantity of the offence. 1755 B. Franklin Let. 27 Nov. in (1963) VI. 276 As yet, the Quantity of Human Knowledge bears no Proportion to the Quantity of Human Ignorance. 1780 J. Bentham (1789) xvii. §15 Any punishment is subservient to reformation in proportion to its quantity. 1828 N. Hawthorne vi. 74 The diminution in the quantity of his natural rest, did not, however, prevent Doctor Melmoth from rising at his usual hour. 1872 ‘G. Eliot’ IV. vii. lxx. 132 He did not measure the quantity of diseased motive which had made him wish for Lydgate's goodwill. 1904 H. James II. xli. 358 It's only a question of the quantity of truth. 1989 P. Butchvarov viii. 181 The chief difficulty remains that of making clear the notion of the goodness contributed by an action, as determined by both degree and quantity of goodness. society > trade and finance > money > sum of money > [noun] 1405 in H. M. Flasdieck (1926) 41 (MED) And qwho so do the contrarye shal forfet his parte or profytz abuf said, be it more or lesse, after the quantite askit of qwhich partie so it be. a1475 J. Fortescue (Laud) (1885) 121 The iiijth or the vth parte of the quantite of his expenses. a1500 (?c1378) J. Wyclif (1880) 423 (MED) Þus it is nyȝ þe perel to ȝyue bodily almes to men but ȝif men knowen hem betere, & þanne in litil quantite. 1528 Galway Arch. in (1885) App. v. 403 That some or quauntit of such monye as they playe for. 1548 f. ccxxiijv The fees of canonizyng of a Kyng, wer of so great a quantitie at Rome [etc.]. 1612 in A. Macdonald & J. Dennistoun (1842) III. i. 117 The noblemen being in great miscontentment for the quantitie of the taxatioun. 1714 J. Fortescue-Aland in J. Fortescue Pref. 48 The Lord was to forfeit 30s. which was then near as much in Quantity as 5l. now. 1775 S. Johnson 15 The quantity of this payment. 1819 11 Oct. 2/3 The quantity of money in circulation, applicable to operations in the Funds, has experienced no diminution. 1930 15 June 7/5 The new settled policy of the senate is that quantity of money, apart from other considerations, is a bar to the senate. 1991 J. Kingdom xi. 174 Regulating the rate of increase in the money supply (quantity of money in the economy) to control inflation. the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] > as an abstract property of things a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add.) f. 328 Þe diuision of an euene noumbre is most in contynual quantite [L. secundum magnitudinem maxima], and lest in nombre and discrete quantite [L. secundum quantitatem discretam minima]. c1400 J. Wyclif (1871) III. 405 (MED) As philosoferes seyn, hardenesse and sofftenesse, freelnesse and towghnesse..may nowþer qualite ne quantite sogetten. a1425 (?a1400) (Harl.) (1955) 9 (MED) We remowe fro hym..alle þoo þinges þat fallyn to..bodely þinges, as is schap, fourme, qualitee, quantitee. 1530 J. Palsgrave Introd. 144 Some [adverbs] betoken quantite. 1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid ii. f. 62 Two contrary kynds of quantity, quantity discrete or number, and quantity continual or magnitude. 1682 H. More Answer Lett. Psychopyrist x. 19 in J. Glanvill (ed. 2) Inseperably continued Amplitude belongs to Spirits as well as discrete Quantity. 1690 J. Locke iv. iii. 274 The Ideas of Quantity are not those alone that are capable of Demonstration and Knowledge. 1759 E. Burke (ed. 2) iii. §2. 165 All proportions, every arrangement of quantity is alike to the understanding. 1797 XV. 741/1 Mathematics is..employed in discovering and stating many relations of quantity. 1839 H. Hallam II. viii. 447 They were dealing with continuous, or geometrical, not merely with discrete, or arithmetical, quantity. 1864 F. C. Bowen vii. 185 Mathematics is the science of pure quantity. 1920 B. Russell x. 97 The notion of ‘limit’ is a purely ordinal notion, not involving quantity at all. 2001 B. Hale in B. Hale & C. Wright xv. 404 The notion of addition is nevertheless central to that of quantity. 8. the world > space > [noun] > defined or limited portion of space the world > time > duration > [noun] ?a1425 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius v. pr. vi. 74 Ne it ne scholde nat semen to us that God is eldere than thinges that ben imaked by quantite of tyme [L. temporis quantitate], but rathir by the proprete of his simple nature. c1484 (a1475) J. de Caritate tr. (Takamiya) (1977) 152 (MED) My purpose is her to determyne of þe four tymys of þe yer and of þe qualyte and quantyte and þe propyrte of iche part, and of þe varyacion of hem. 1588 A. King tr. P. Canisius G vij According to the quantitie of the yere, obserueit in that age to contene 304 dayes. 1729 M. Wright iii. 147 Our Lawyers divide these Tenures, according to their Duration, or what they call the Quantity of Estate, into Estates in Fee, for Life, for Years, and at Will. 1799 F. Hargrave 118 This doctrine of protracting executory devise to the prejudice of unborn persons through considering them as actually born, in order to exclude them, or to abridge their quantity of estate. 1841 XIX. 46/1 Where the word Estate is used in its technical sense, it..[means] the quantity and quality of enjoyment of the thing. 1959 Earl Jowitt & C. Walsh I. 735/1 Before 1926 legal estates in land of freehold tenure were divisible with reference to their quantity, or the extreme limit of their duration, into estates of freehold or less than freehold. 1987 B. A. Garner 456/2 The quantity of estate is 99 years. 1999 M. J. K. Williams iii. 29 I think I'm more concerned about the quality of my life and my experiences than I am about the quantity of my life. society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > versification > rhythm > [noun] > quantity ?1566–7 G. Buchanan Opinion Reformation Univ. St. Andros in (1892) 9 Thys classe sal reid..sum buik of Ouide, and the quantiteis of syllabes. 1586 W. Webbe sig. G.iiii As for the quantity of our wordes, therein lyeth great difficultye. 1602 J. Colville 92 To amuse my self vpon the quantitie of syllabes. a1637 B. Jonson Eng. Gram. i. iii, in (1640) III All our Vowels are..In quantitie (which is Time) long, or short. 1706 (new ed.) Anacreontick Verse, consists of seven syllables, without being tied to any certain Law of Quantity. 1728 E. Chambers (at cited word) The Quantity of the Syllables is but little fix'd in the modern Tongues. 1774 T. Warton I. Diss. ii. 108 King Chilperic..wrote two books of Latin verses..without any idea of the common quantities. c1786 T. Jefferson Thoughts on Eng. Prosody in (1903) XVIII. 416 The length allowed to a syllable is called its quantity, and hence we say that the Greek and Latin languages are to be pronounced according to quantity. 1831 694/1 Every word is syllabized, and every syllable protracted to three times its due quantity. 1852 5 156 In English pronunciation syllabic quantity is..imperfectly marked. 1886 J. Ruskin II. viii. 275 A rightly bred scholar, who knew his grammar and his quantities. 1933 L. Bloomfield vii. 109 Duration (or quantity) is the relative length of time through which the vocal organs are kept in a position. 1957 S. Potter iii. 60 Many degrees of length, duration or quantity may be detected by observation and experiment in most languages. 2001 55 141 The difference in quantity between the e and the η is negligible. society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > duration of notes > [noun] c1570 Art of Music (BL Add. 4911) f. 13v, in at Quantité The quantateis perfyt and imperfyt of noittis. 1597 T. Morley 9 The quantitie of euery note and rest in the song. 1658 J. Playford (new ed.) i. 19 Measure in this Science is a Quantity of the length and shortness of Time. 1749 J. Mason 32 How is it possible to accommodate the Quantity of the Notes to that of the Syllables, without spoiling the Air and Time of the Tune? 1786 T. Busby (at cited word) Quantity, in music..does not signify the number of notes, or syllables, but their relative duration. 1813 J. M. Good et al. at Music When airs were either set to pieces in prose, or composed without any regard to syllabical duration, the quantity of each note was absolutely indefinite. 1962 2 422 Prolonging the total elapsed time..or lessening it..easily prolongs or quickens each unit of three and in effect the quantity of each note. the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > term of a proposition > [noun] > quantity > extension the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical classification > [noun] > logical intension the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > term of a proposition > [noun] > quantity 1551 T. Wilson sig. Gvij I call that in the proposition a qualitie, when it doth affirme or denie. I call it a quantitie, when it is either vniuersal, or particular. 1668 Bp. J. Wilkins iii. i. 306 Another, A certain one, Some one, are for their Quantities, Singulars or Particulars indeterminate. 1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck i. xxix. 115 In Respect to Quantity, an Enunciation is divided into Universal, Particular, Indefinite, and Singular. 1725 I. Watts ii. ii. 250 Both particular and universal Propositions which agree in Quality but not in Quantity are called Subaltern. 1843 J. S. Mill I. ii. ii. §1 According to what are called the quantity and quality of propositions. 1846 W. Hamilton Preparing for Publication: Ess. Analytic Logical Forms 2 in (1847) Logically, we ought to take into account the quantity, always understood in thought, but usually, and for manifest reasons, elided in its expression, not only of the subject, but also of the predicate, of a judgment. 1864 F. C. Bowen v. 120 We may inquire concerning the number of objects about which we judge, and thus determine the Quantity, or Extension, of the Judgment. 1965 74 382 ‘A is predicated of B’..tells us that A is the predicate and B is the subject, but it tells us nothing about the quantity or quality or modality of the proposition. 1996 G. Englebretsen ii. iii. 124 In the traditional theory, the contradictory of a sentence is never achieved simply by negating the predicate-term, but results from denying the predicate of the subject. And this is equivalent..to simultaneously reversing the quantity of the subject and the quality of the predicate (i.e., negating the predicate). 10. the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > largeness > [noun] > largeness of volume or bulkiness 1554 D. Lindsay Dialog Experience & Courteour 1638 in (1931) I. 247 Thow mon vnderstand Off Nemrod the Genologie, His strenth, Curage, and Quantitie. a1600 (?c1535) tr. H. Boece (Mar Lodge) (1946) vii. viii. f. 236v Malcolme þe Thrid for quantite of his hede namyt Canmore [L. Cui ob capitis molem can moir .i. caput maius vulgo nomen fuit adiectum]. 1753 W. Hogarth vi. 29 Windsor castle is a noble instance of the effect of quantity. 1896 18 Oct. The true sportsman of this time and generation frowns upon..the pictorial evidence of wanton destruction, the display of quantity rather than the gentility of skill. 1920 (1964) 1 iv. 49 In Kiriwina display of quantity as well as of quality is a feature of generosity. 1987 D. Miller (BNC) 153 Working people are found to prefer the immediacy of abundance, a plentiful table proclaiming its sustenance,..an unfussy array of quantity wherever possible. 1585 in (1835) 65 He is desyrous for sum troupes in quantitie. 1655 S. Hartlib (ed. 3) 217 Some Salts doe kill, as that of Vitriol, also that of Stones and Lime, if applyed in quantity and to the plant it self immediately. 1701 P. Paxton i. ii. 49 Wine and strong Liquors will heat us, if taken in quantity. 1797 IX. 71/1 Sakki, or rice-beer, is clear as wine, and of an agreeable taste: taken in quantity, it intoxicates for a few moments, and causes head-ach. 1830 M. Donovan II. vii. 321 Eaten in quantity it [sc. beet-root] often proves flatulent. 1877 R. W. Raymond 175 Only the smelting-ores have been extracted in quantity. 1923 17 Mar. 6/5 This is now to be replaced by fees assessable annually..on any installations in which high-flash point petroleum is stored in quantity. 1949 A. E. Trueman v. 78 Salt does not occur in quantity in the red marls of other areas. 2002 P. Thomas x. 113 There is..little information about what happens when a healthy person takes a particular herb in quantity over long periods of time. the world > relative properties > relationship > [noun] > proportion or ratio 1556 R. Record 146 Euery darke body giueth shadowe accordinge to the quantitie that it beareth to that shyning body, which giueth the light. 1604 W. Shakespeare iii. ii. 160 For womens feare and loue hold quantitie, Eyther none, in neither ought or in extremitie,..And as my loue is ciz'd, my feare is so. Phrasesthe world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > small of quantity, amount, or degree [phrase] > to a small extent or a little the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > greatly or very much [phrase] > to a great extent or by far the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > greatly or very much [phrase] > to a considerable degree c1330 in T. Wright (1839) 334 He wole..ȝeve þe gode man drinke a god quantite [c1400 Peterhouse to drynke a gode quantite, a1450 Bodl. to drynke a gret quantite]. a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) 8816 (MED) Vp þai lifted oft-sith þe tre, It was to scort gret quantite [a1400 Gött. a gret quantite]. c1400 (c1378) W. Langland (Laud 581) (1869) B. xix. 372 (MED) Þere nas no crystene creature þat kynde witte hadde..That he ne halpe a quantite holynesse to wexe. a1425 (a1399) Forme of Cury (BL Add.) 37 in C. B. Hieatt & S. Butler (1985) 106 (MED) Do þerto hool peper and flour of canel a gode quantite. ?a1425 (c1400) (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 167 Þei leyn vpon the hors gold & siluer gret quantytee [?a1425 Egerton als mykill gold and siluer as he may bere]. tr. Palladius (Duke Humfrey) (1896) xi. 157 (MED) Ek lyfte her plaunte a litel quantite. a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Lansd.) in (1968) 12 229 (MED) And if þe exalaciouns be Y-gadred þere greet quantite, So harde þei hem meve shal Þat þe erþe shal quake with-al. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour (St. John's Cambr.) vi. 76 Endlang the vattir than ȝeid he On athir syde gret quantite. ?1523 J. Fitzherbert f. xl Alway se that the top lye hyer thanne the rote a good quantytie, for els the sappe woll nat ronne into the toppe kyndely. Compounds C1. attributive. 1838 Morning Chron. in H. M. Noad (1849) ix. 401 The decomposing power of the quantity inductor. 1849 H. M. Noad (ed. 3) 397 One..is used for quantity effects, such as igniting platinum wire. 1850 52 247/2 We further claim the triode in its combination with quantity galvanometers, that is, with such galvanometers as give a palpable indication of the change, when any resistance is added to or taken from the circuit of such electric currents as they are fitted to measure. 1857 20 Feb. 212/1 If a quantity battery were used, a short thick coil was preferable; but with an intensity battery a much longer wire would produce the same effects. 1880 11 Sept. 128 A piece of iron so surrounded by a number of separate coils that its magnetism could be fully developed by a quantity battery. 1881 E. Pornain (ed. 2) 99 Quantity fuse, une amorce de quantité. 1883 F. Jenkin (ed. 7) 190 The term..‘quantity galvanometer’ [is used to signify] an instrument with few turns of thick wire. 2004 R. Burns iii. 84 It was Henry who, by counselling Morse to abandon the employment of a ‘quantity’ battery and a ‘quantity’ coil and to use instead an ‘intensity’ battery and an ‘intensity’ coil, provided the solution which allowed Morse to be successful. 1905 3 Sept. 6/7 Careful manufacture..is better for all concerned than quantity production, which ignores quality. 1919 Nov. 42/1 Quantity output may mean cheap production, but the manufacture of more modest quantities need not be much inferior in this aspect. 1940 2 Apr. 10/6 In any case such steps would be valueless unless the development work could be followed by quantity orders. 1969 J. Argenti v. 26 By ordering large quantities of goods at a time considerable savings can be achieved by means of quantity discounts. 1996 (new ed.) iv. 82 You must allow for discounts for quantity orders. C2. the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > [noun] > phonetic transcription > phonetic symbols 1860 11 380 The form of r made with the ascending stroke continued into (˘) a short quantity mark, and ending with ı. 1912 12 116 Musical tones, dynamic stress, and possibly nasalisation have to be indicated... If to these three we add a quantity mark, the result does not make for clearness. 1991 111 395/1 There are misspellings of English and absent or misplaced diacriticals and quantity marks on almost every page. 1877 2 Feb. 65/1 (heading) The practice of architecture: quantity surveying. 1940 A. H. M. Jones xvi. 238 The commissioners were likewise responsible for the quantity surveying: Plutarch recalls that he spent many hours in the wearisome work of counting tiles. 2000 G. McSheffrey ii. 17 He had expanded the practice to include architecture, quantity surveying, and recently city planning as major components. society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > builder > [noun] > quantity surveyor 1872 12 Aug. 3/3 A London quantity surveyor, with a large practice in engineering and building works, is willing to receive a well-educated youth as pupil. 1908 8 May 8/3 Bills which had been through the hands of the quantity surveyor and architect. 2005 27 Jan. (Review section) 4/2 Even as we speak there are firms of quantity surveyors looking into ways of lashing up a modern house for just 60 grand. society > trade and finance > management of money > management of national resources > [noun] > political economy > specific theories or doctrines 1885 Dec. 553 The rigid local quantity-theory..inspires Mr. Hill's views on the Volume of Money and Mr. Delmar's views on Demonetization. 1903 J. L. Laughlin vii. 225 (heading) History and literature of the quantity theory of money. 1992 A. Vercelli & N. Dimitri p. xiii What we call macroeconomics was still related to simple theoretical constructs like the Quantity Theory of Money, or empirical regularities like the Gresham Law. 1896 4 308 This false attitude towards their critics has made quantity theorists more than ever alive to the necessity of minimizing the importance of credit devices. 1931 19 Feb. 124/2 The quantity theorists have always been baffled by variations in the public's habits and other factors. 1992 J. A. Trevithick (BNC) 99 Many pre-Keynesian quantity theorists..would have shuddered at the prospect of a prolonged bout of price deflation. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022). <  n.a1325 |
