Qualität

Forms

Qualität f (genitive Qualität, plural Qualitäten)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin quālitās (“nature, property”), a derivative of quālis (“of what kind”).^[2][3][4] Its use was partly influenced by French qualité, and Wiktionary takes it partly from the French word.^[4][3][1] In philosophy the Latin word rendered Ancient Greek ποιότης (poiótēs), one of Aristotle's basic forms of thought.^[5] The same word is Dutch kwaliteit, English quality and Swedish kvalitet.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Paul finds the word with Latin endings from the 15th century and as German qualiteten in 1519; the Deutsches Fremdwörterbuch also dates it to 1519, spelled qualitet from the early 16th century.^[6][5] It was first a term of medicine and of the doctrine of the four humours, for the primary qualities heat, cold, moisture and dryness.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

From medicine and philosophy it spread to other trades and professions in the sense “nature, property”, often in contrast with Quantität.^[6][5] In the 17th century it gained weight in merchants' language under French influence, for the good state of goods.^[3] Also under French influence it was used of people, mostly in the plural, for good qualities and abilities, as in Goethe's alle edlen Qualitäten; from the 17th to the early 20th century it also meant rank or standing, as in Dame von Qualität (1663, Gryphius).^[6] The Latin form lived on in technical use far into the 18th century, and only from about the middle of the 17th century did the German form become usual.^[5] Prosody has used it since the 17th century, and recently it has become a favourite word of advertising and public life.^[5]

Timeline

• 15th century – The word is used with Latin endings.^[6]
• 1519 – German qualiteten.^[6][5]
• 17th century – A term of merchants' language under French influence.^[3]
• 1663 – Dame von Qualität “lady of rank” in Gryphius.^[6]
• 19th century – The adjective qualitativ is formed.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (formal) The whole of the characteristic properties of a thing or person; nature.^[8]
2. (linguistics) The timbre of a sound, as opposed to its length.^[8][9]
3. (textiles) A material of a particular kind.^[8]
4. (formal) A characteristic property; mostly in the plural, a good quality of a person or thing: Sie hat viele Qualitäten.^[8][9]
5. The standard or excellence of something: Diese Schuhe sind von guter Qualität.^[8][1][9]
6. Something of a particular quality, such as goods of a certain grade.^[8][9]
7. (chess) The difference in value between a rook and a bishop or knight.^[8][9]

Word family

• qualitativ

Related words

• qualifizieren
• Qualifikation
• Quantität

Usage notes

In chess, die Qualität gewinnen is to win a rook in exchange for a bishop or knight.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 736
3. ^ a b c d e f Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
4. ^ a b Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 663
5. ^ a b c d e f Schulz, Hans; Basler, Otto, et al. (1913–1988), Deutsches Fremdwörterbuch, 7 vols., Strasbourg / Berlin: Trübner / De Gruyter; 2nd ed., ed. Gerhard Strauß et al. (1995–), Berlin / New York: De Gruyter; via OWID, Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache
6. ^ a b c d e f Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
7. ^ Anderson, Robert R.; Goebel, Ulrich; Reichmann, Oskar, eds. (1989–), Frühneuhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter; FWB-online, fwb-online.de
8. ^ a b c d e f g Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
9. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
10. ^ Duden. Das Fremdwörterbuch (2007), 9th ed., Duden vol. 5, Mannheim: Dudenverlag