quantity

English

Etymology

From Middle English quantite, from Old French quantité, from Latin quantitās (“quantity”), from quantus (“how much”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkwɒn.tɪ.ti/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• (General American) enPR: kwŏnʹ(t)ĭtē, IPA^(key): /ˈkwɑn(t)ɪti/, [ˈkʰwɑn(ɾ)ɨɾi], [ˈkʰwɑn(tʰ)ɨtʰi]

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

    Note: This is with a relaxed middle T, and is only used in colloquial contexts by many speakers.
• (Canada) IPA^(key): [ˈkwɑnɾəɾi]

  • Audio (Canada):

    (file)

• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /ˈkwæn.tɪ.ti/, /ˈkwæn.tɪ.tɪ/

Noun

quantity (countable and uncountable, plural quantities) (abbreviated qty)

1. A fundamental, generic term used when referring to the measurement (count, amount) of a scalar, vector, number of items or to some other way of denominating the value of a collection or group of items.

   You have to choose between quantity and quality.

2. An indefinite amount of something.

   Some soap making oils are best as base oils, used in a larger quantity in the soap, while other oils are best added in a small quantity.

   Olive oil can be used practically in any quantity.

3. A specific measured amount.

   This bag would normally cost $497.50 for a quantity of 250, at a price of $1.99 per piece.

   Generally it should not be used in a quantity larger than 15 percent.

4. A considerable measure or amount.

   The Boeing P-26A was the first all-metal monoplane fighter produced in quantity for the U.S. Army Air Corps.

5. (metrology) Property of a phenomenon, body, or substance, where the property has a magnitude that can be expressed as number and a reference.
6. (mathematics) Indicates that the entire preceding expression is henceforth considered a single object.

   x plus y quantity squared equals x squared plus 2xy plus y squared.

   • 2006, Jerome E. Kaufmann, Karen Schwitters, Elementary and Intermediate Algebra: A Combined Approach, page 89:

     For problems 58-67, translate each word phrase into an algebraic expression. […] 65. x plus 9, the quantity squared

   • 2005, R. Mark Sirkin, Statistics For The Social Sciences, page 137:

     The second, $(\sum x)^{2}$, read "summation of x, quantity squared," tells us to first add up all the xs to get $\sum x$ and then square $\sum x$ to get $(\sum x)^{2}$.

   • 1985, Serge Lang, Math!: Encounters with High School Students, page 54:

     ANN. $ra$ quantity cubed.
     SERGE LANG. That's right, $(ra)^{3}$.

7. (phonology) Length of sounds.

Usage notes

• In mathematics, used to unambiguously orate mathematical equations; it is extremely rare in print, since there is no need for it there.

Derived terms

• dimensionless quantity
• hidden quantity
• in quantity
• known quantity
• physical quantity
• quantity discount
• quantity of motion
• quantity surveyor
• quantity theory of money
• unknown quantity
• vowel quantity

 

Related terms

• quant
• quanta
• quantifier
• quantify
• quantitate
• quantitative
• quantum

 

Translations

fundamental, generic term used when referring to the measurement

• Albanian: sasi (sq) f
• Arabic: كَمِّيَّة f (kammiyya), مِقْدَار (ar) m (miqdār), قدر (ar) (qadr)
• Armenian: քանակ (hy) (kʻanak)
• Asturian: cantidá f
• Avar: къадар (qxʼadar)
• Azerbaijani: kəmiyyət (az), miqdar (az)
• Bashkir: һан (han), миҡдар (miqdar)
• Basque: kantitatea
• Belarusian: ко́лькасць (be) f (kólʹkascʹ)
• Bengali: পরিমাণ (bn) (poriman)
• Bulgarian: коли́чество (bg) n (kolíčestvo)
• Burmese: အရေအတွက် (my) (a.rea.twak)
• Catalan: quantitat (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Hokkien: 數量／数量 (zh-min-nan) (sò͘-liōng)

  Mandarin: 數量／数量 (zh) (shùliàng), 量 (zh) (liàng), 數字／数字 (zh) (shùzì), 數目／数目 (zh) (shùmù), 分量 (zh) (fènliàng)

• Czech: množství (cs) n
• Danish: kvantitet (da) c
• Dutch: hoeveelheid (nl) f, (mainly used in opposition to 'kwaliteit') kwantiteit (nl) f
• Estonian: kogus, kvantiteet
• Finnish: määrä (fi)
• French: quantité (fr) f
• Galician: cantidade (gl) f
• Georgian: რაოდენობა (raodenoba), ოდენობა (odenoba)
• German: Quantität (de) f, Menge (de) f
• Greek: ποσότητα (el) f (posótita)

  Ancient: ποσότης f (posótēs)

• Hebrew: כַּמוּת (he) f (kamút)
• Hindi: मात्रा (hi) f (mātrā), परिमाण (hi) m (parimāṇ)
• Hungarian: mennyiség (hu)
• Icelandic: magn (is) n
• Ido: quanteso (io)
• Indonesian: kuantitas (id), jumlah (id)
• Interlingua: quantitate
• Irish: cainníocht f
• Italian: grandezza (it) f, quantità (it) f
• Japanese: 量 (ja) (りょう, ryō), 数量 (ja) (すうりょう, sūryō), 分量 (ja) (ぶんりょう, bunryō)
• Kazakh: сан (san)
• Khmer: ចំនួន (km) (cɑmnuən)
• Korean: 양(量) (ko) (yang), 량(量) (ko) (ryang) (North Korea), 수량(數量) (ko) (suryang), 분량(分量) (ko) (bullyang)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: چەندیەتی (çendyetî)

• Kyrgyz: сан (ky) (san)
• Lao: ປະລິມານ (lo) (pa li mān), ຈຳນວນ (cham nūan)
• Latin: quantitās f
• Latvian: daudzums m
• Lithuanian: kiekis (lt) m
• Macedonian: коли́чина f (kolíčina), коли́чество n (kolíčestvo), квантите́т m (kvantitét)
• Malay: kuantiti, jumlah
• Malayalam: അളവ് (ml) (aḷavŭ)
• Maori: rahinga
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: тоо хэмжээ (too xemžee)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kvantitet (no) m

• Persian: کمیت (fa) (kammiyat), مقدار (fa) (meqdâr)
• Polish: ilość (pl) f, wielkość (pl) f
• Portuguese: quantidade (pt) f
• Romanian: cantitate (ro) f
• Russian: коли́чество (ru) n (kolíčestvo)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: количѝна f, квантите́та f

  Roman: količìna (sh) f, kvantitéta (sh) f

• Slovak: množstvo n
• Slovene: količina (sl) f, kvantiteta f
• Spanish: cantidad (es) f, cuantía (es) f
• Swedish: kvantitet (sv) c
• Tajik: шумора (tg) (šumora), миқдор (miqdor)
• Tatar: сан (tt) (san)
• Telugu: పరిమాణము (te) (parimāṇamu)
• Thai: ปริมาณ (th) (bpà-rí-maan), จำนวน (th) (jam-nuuan)
• Turkish: miktar (tr)
• Turkmen: san (tk), mukdar (tk)
• Ukrainian: кі́лькість (uk) f (kílʹkistʹ)
• Urdu: مقدار m (miqdār)
• Uyghur: سان (san), مىقدار (miqdar)
• Uzbek: son (uz), miqdor (uz)
• Vietnamese: lượng (vi), số lượng (vi)
• Walloon: cwantité (wa) f
• Zazaki: miktar n

indefinite amount of something

• Bulgarian: коли́чество (bg) n (kolíčestvo)
• Catalan: quantitat (ca) f
• Dutch: hoeveelheid (nl) f
• Ewe: gbɔsɔsɔ
• Finnish: määrä (fi)
• French: quantité (fr) f
• Georgian: რაოდენობა (raodenoba)
• German: Quantität (de) f
• Greek: ποσότητα (el) f (posótita)

  Ancient: ποσότης f (posótēs)

• Hebrew: כַּמוּת (he) f (kamút)
• Ido: quanto (io)
• Irish: cainníocht f
• Italian: numero (it) m
• Latvian: daudzums m
• Macedonian: коли́чество n (kolíčestvo)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: mengde (no) m

  Nynorsk: mengd f

• Polish: ilość (pl) f
• Portuguese: quantidade (pt) f
• Romanian: cantitate (ro) f
• Russian: коли́чество (ru) n (kolíčestvo)
• Serbo-Croatian: količina (sh) f
• Slovene: količina (sl) f
• Spanish: cantidad (es) f, cuantía (es)
• Swedish: kvantitet (sv) c, mängd (sv) c
• Waray-Waray: kantidad, kadamo
• Zazaki: çend (diq), çend (diq) c
• ǃXóõ: ǃɢa̰n-ǃɢa̰n (of objects), dzâa (of people)

specific measured amount

• Bulgarian: коли́чество (bg) n (kolíčestvo)
• Catalan: quantitat (ca) f
• Dutch: hoeveelheid (nl) f
• Estonian: hulk (et)
• Ewe: gbɔsɔsɔ
• Finnish: määrä (fi)
• Georgian: რაოდენობა (raodenoba)
• Greek: ποσότητα (el) f (posótita)
• Hebrew: כַּמוּת (he) f (kamút)
• Irish: cainníocht f
• Latvian: daudzums m
• Macedonian: коли́чина f (kolíčina)
• Malayalam: അളവ് (ml) (aḷavŭ)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: mengde (no) m, antall (no) n

  Nynorsk: mengd f, tal n

• Polish: ilość (pl) f
• Portuguese: quantidade (pt) f
• Russian: коли́чество (ru) n (kolíčestvo)
• Slovene: količina (sl) f
• Spanish: cantidad (es) f, cuantía (es) f
• Swedish: mängd (sv) c (uncountable), antal (sv) n (countable)
• Zazaki: hend (diq) c or impf
• ǃXóõ: ʻǁnàhã

considerable measure or amount

• Catalan: quantitat (ca) f
• Ewe: gbɔsɔsɔ
• Finnish: merkittävä määrä, paljous (fi)
• Georgian: რაოდენობა (raodenoba)
• German: Menge (de) f
• Hebrew: כַּמוּת (he) f (kamút)
• Latvian: daudzums m
• Macedonian: коли́чество n (kolíčestvo), коли́чина f (kolíčina)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: mengde (no) m, antall (no) n

  Nynorsk: mengd f, tal n

• Polish: duża ilość (pl)
• Portuguese: quantidade (pt) f
• Romanian: mulțime (ro) f, mare cantitate f
• Russian: коли́чество (ru) n (kolíčestvo)
• Spanish: cantidad (es) f, cuantía (es) f

word used to indicate that preceding expression is a single object

• Finnish: suluissa (fi)
• German: in Klammern
• Zazaki: henq n

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} kvanto (eo)
• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} რაოდენობა (raodenoba), ^{(please verify)} ზომა (zoma)
• Ido: (suffix) ^{(please verify)} -ed
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} kuantitas (id)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} quantitate
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} quantità (it) f
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 분량 (ko) (bullyang)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} چھندی (çhindî)

• Latin: ^{(please verify)} quantum (la) n, ^{(please verify)} quantitas, ^{(please verify)} quantitatis f
• Malay: ^{(please verify)} kuantiti
• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} mödot (vo)

See also

• measure
• unit

Further reading

• “quantity”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “quantity”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “quantity”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.