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QUANT.
DAVIES Norfolk Broads iv. 25 When the wind fails, the
men betake themselves to the 'quant', which is a long
slender pole with a knob at one end and a spike and
shoulder at the other. 1893 DOUGHTY Wherry in Wend.
Lands 167 To get all sail off her, and undertake a tough
job with the quants.
Quant (kwsent, kwgnt), v.
[f. prec.] a. traits.
To propel (a boat) with a quant. Also absol.
b. iitlr. Of a boat : To be propelled with a quant.
1865 [implied in QUANTING vbl. sb.\ 1883 G. C. DAVIK'S
Norfolk Broads v. 37 The water was too deep for us to
auant pur punt. 1887 W. RYE Nor/oik Breads p. ii, Great
isinclinations to quant or scull. 1893 Toynl-ec Rec. 90
Now her stern, now a broadside, is toward us . . as she quants
against the breeze.
Hence Qua nting vtl. sb. (also atlrib.}
1865 W. WHITE East. Eng. I. 84 Wherry men, to whom
the operation of 'quanting' is very familiar. 1883 G. C.
DAVIES Norfolk Broads x. 77 There may be a quanting.
match. 1887 W. RYE Norfolk Broads 39 We and the
wherry, by dint of very hard quanting, managed . . to get as
far as the ruins.
tQuantal, a. Obs. rare-', [f. as next +
-AL.J = ALIQUANT.
01696 SCARBURGH Euclid (1705) 177 A Quanta! part
measures not the whole: but repeated is either less or
greater than it.
t a. Qualitative, Obs. rare. [For quantitative,
as if f. L. quanl-us + -ATIVE : cf. QUANTI-
TIVE. (But pern, a misprint in both quots.)]
= QUANTITATIVE.
1644 DIGBY Nat. Bodies iii. 30 In compounding and
diuiding of bodies according to quantatiue [1669 quantitive]
panes. 1661 GLANVILL Van. Dogm. 29 Motion cannot
be received but by quantative dimension.
Quantic (kwo-ntik). Math. [f. L. quant-us
how much + -ic.] A rational, integral, homogeneous
function of two or more variables.
A quantic according to its dimensions b a quadric, cubic,
quartic, etc. according as it is of the and, 3rd, 4th, etc. degree ;
and is binary, ternary, quaternary, etc. according as it has
two, three, four, etc variables.
1854 A. CAYLEY Wks. (1887) II. 224 We may instead of a
single quantic consider two or more qualities. 1881 BURN-
SIDE & PANTON Th. Eguat. Introd. p. 4 A polynomial is
sometimes called a quantic. 1806 E. B. ELLIOTT (title) An
Introduction to the Algebra of Quantics.
Hence Qna-ntical a., relating to quantics.
Quantifiable (kwo-ntifai ab'l), a.
[f. QUAN-
TIFY v. + -ABLE.] That may be conceived or
treated as a quantity that ; may be measured with
regard to quantity.
1883 A. BARRATT Phys. Mctempiric p. xxv, Those mutual
relations of conscious centres which are measurable and
quantifiable. 1893 Attautmm 11 Nov. 667/2 It is the latter
kind only [of feeling] which is immediately and necessarily
quantifiable.
Quantification (kwr^ntifik^ 1
Jan), [f. QUAN-
TIFY v. : see -FICATION.] The action of quantifying.
Quantification of the predicate: the
expression
of the
logical quantity of the predicate of a proposition, by applying
to the predicate the sign all, or some, or an equivalent ;
a device introduced chiefly by Sir W. Hamilton, and intended
to simplify logical processes.
/. a.
1847 SIR W. HAMILTON Let. to A. de Morgan 43 Logicians.,
have referred the quantifying predesignations flurum,
and the like, to the most opposite heads.
Quantitative (kwg-ntitAiv), . and**, [ad.
med.L. qtiantitatlvus : see QUANTITY and -IVE.
Cf. F. quantitatif(iKfi6 in Godef. CV>///.).]
20
A. 1. Possessing quantity, magnitude, or spatia
extent. Now rare.
1581 MARBECK Bk. of Notes 40 [Angels occupy] no
bodilie place, no several! nor quantitative place. 163.
JACKSON Creed vii. xxvi. 5 The world in the original dot!
not signify this visible or quantitative world. 1697 J. SKK
GEANT Solid Philos. 22 The Body, only which (and not thi
Soul) is Quantitative. 1847 LEWES Hist. Philos. (1867) II
481 The fact that we discover quantitative space and time.
2. That is, or may be, considered with respect to
the quantity or quantities involved estimated or
;
estimable by quantity.
1656 Artif. Handsom. 44 This Quantitative Adultery
which . . makes far more grosse alterations, & substantial
changes of nature. 1661 GLANVILL Van. Dogm. 221 The
colour of mens eyes is various, nor is there less diversity in
their quantitative proportions. 1841 GROVE Corr. Phys.
For. (ed. 61 142 An invariable quantitative relation to each
other. 1858 J. MARTINEAU Stud. Ckr. 160 Not as its
quantitative equal .. but as a moral equivalent. 187;
FARRAR St. Paul (1883) 43 The enormous error that man . .
can win by quantitative goodness
Kingdom of God.
his entrance into the
3. Relating to, concerned with, quantity or its
measurement ; ascertaining or expressing quantity.
1668 WILKINS RealChar. in. vii. 325 Relative and Quantitative
Pronouns. 1830 HERSCHEL Stud. Nat. Phil. 123 It
is a character of all the higher laws of nature to assume the
form of precise quantitative statement. 1849 D. CAMPBELL
Inorg. Chem. Pref. 4 Tables for assisting in the calculations
of quantitative analysis. l88a FARRAR Early Chr. I. 125
The quantitative conceptions of Jewish formalism.
4. Pertaining to, based on, vowel-quantity.
1799 Itlonthly Rev. XXIX. 49 The quantitative accent,
as it may be called, follows the analogy of the Latin. 1871
LOWELL Study Wind. (1886) 241 The best quantitative
verses in our language are lo be found in Mother Goose.
B. sb. t a. A sign that indicates quantity. Obs.
b. That which possesses or involves quantity.
1668 WILKINS Real Char. in. ii. 305 Of all which [pronouns]
it is to be observed, that they are in some kind or
other, Quantitative*. 1846 SABINE tr. Humboldt's Cosmos
(1847) I. 179 An effort .. to investigate the quantitative in
the laws of one of the great phenomena of nature.
Quantitatively, adv. [f. prec. + -LY 2 .]
In a quantitative manner ; in respect of quantity.
1593 R. HARVEY Philad. 21 He and his surveyed it quantitatively.
1614 GATAKER Transutst. 115 With quant itir,
but not quantitatively. 1644 DIGBY OfMan's Soul x. 423
347 The magr.
silica were not determined quantitatively. 1870 ROLLESTON
Anim. Life Introd. 49 The brain holds a more favorable
relation quantitatively to the body and to the spinal cord.
So Qua'ntitativeness, the quality or condition
of being quantitative.
1858 H. SPENCER Ess. I. 225 The more specific, characteristic
of scientific previsions . . their quantitativeness. 1873
Stud. Social. (1882) 45 Where they are quantitative, their
quantitativeness . . is mostly very indefinite.
t Qua-utitied, a. 06s. [f. QUANTITY + -ED 2 .]
Endowed with quantity or spatial magnitude.
1605 SYLVESTER Du Bar/as 11. iii. I. Abraham 1115
Alwaies in some place are Angels . . selfly limited, And
joyn'd to place, yet not as quantiti'd.
Quantitive (kwo-ntitiv), a,
[f. QUANTITY +
-IVE : cf. qualitive,] = QUANTITATIVE.
1656 STANLEY Hist. Philos. v. (1701) 159/2 Neither equal,
nor certain, nor quantitive, nor qualitative. 1669 [see
QUANTATIVE]. 1817 G. S. FABER Expiat. Sacrif. 148 By
what intelligible process can we estimate the quantitive
proportions of two dissimilar oblations? 1881-3 SCHAFP
Encyc.1. Relig. Knowl. II. 1553 He can make no other distinction
between them . . than a quantitive one.
Hence Qna-ntitively at/v. = QUANTITATIVELY.
i8T G. S. FABER Expiat. Sacrif. 149 The only mode, .in
which things dissimilar can be quantitively compared. 1871
B. STEWART Heat 402 To estimate either temperature
or hardness quantitively.
Quantity (kwg'ntiti). Forms: 4-6 quantite,
-yte, (4 -itee, -ytee, 5 whantite), 6 quaun-
tit, 6-7 quantitie, (6 -etie), 6- quantity, [a.
OF. quantiti, ad. L. quantitas, -dtem, f. quant-us
how much, how great : see -ITY.]
I. 1. Size, magnitude, dimensions. In widest
sense implying magnitude in three dimensions, but
sometimes contextually limited to (a) thickness or
stoutness, (b) extent of surface, area, (c) linear
extension, length, height. Obs. exc. Math.
1387 TREVISA Higden (Rolls) 1. 49 Asia is most in quantite,
Europa is lasse. c 1400 MAUNDEV. (Roxb.) xxi. 96 J>are er
ober also of less quantitee, as it ware of be mykill of a
mannes thee. 1416 LYDG. De Guil. Pilgr. 5845 Sawh thow
euere . . Off nianhys herte the quantyte ? 1470-85 MALORY
Arthur v. viii, A . grete . gyaunt whiche was a man of an
huge quantyte and heyghte. 1578 LYTE Dodoens I. Ixix.
102 The roote is long, of the quantite of one's fingar. Ibid.
n. v. 153 White huskes . . of the quantitie of a groote, or
1 esterne. 1634 LITHGOW Trav. vi. 298 A Dromidore, and
Camel differ.. not in quantity, being of one height, bredth,
and length. 1669 STURMY Mariner s Mag. v. 17 How to find
the just Quantity or Content of any Piece of Ground. 1682
R. BURTON Adtnir. Curios. (1684) 30 Diamonds are found
in many places,, .their quantity is from a Pease to a Walnut
1830 KATER & LARDNER Mech. i. 4 The quantity of a surface
is called its area; and the quantity of a line .. its length.
t b. A dimension. Obs. rare ~ '.
1590 STOCKWOOD Rules Constr. Whether the word of
4^8
measure do signifie the depth, height, length, thicknes, or
any such quantitie of a thing.
t c. An amount equal to the volume of. Obs.
QUANTITY.
1610 B. JONSON Alch. n. i, Taking. .on a knife's point,
The quantity of a grain of mustard. 1694 SALMON Bait's
Dispens. (1713) i 5 i/: Of this Balsam .. the Patient may
take the Quantity of a pretty large Chestnut.
2. Amount, sum. a. Of material things not subject
to, or not usually estimated by.spatial measurement.
1400 MAUNDEV. (Roxb.) xxxi. 142 Of bairn bai gader
boumbe in grete quantitee. 1533 ELYOT Cast. Helthe (1539)
36 a, Ale and here . .flo ingender more grosse vapours, and
corrupt humors, than wine doth, beinge drunke in lyke
excesse of quantitie. 1683 TRYON Way to Health (1697)
205 Of the Quantity of Children's Food. 1769 De Foe's
Ttmr Gt. Brit. (ed. 7) II. 64 Fern, which formerly grew in
great Quantity there. 1849 NOAD Electricity 188 The
quantity of the Electric current bears a relation to the size
of the plates.
b. Of immaterial things.
c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints x. (.Matthew} 576 Nothire for IK
ennormyte of fe syne, na be quantyte. c 1400 tr. Secret*
Secret., Gov. Lordsh, 106 Chese a sotell man . . to shewe be
quantyte of by hynes. 1431 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 403/1
There should no man ben amerced bote after the quantite
of his trespas. c 1485 Digby Myst. iv. 621 After the whantite
of sorofull remembrance. 1611 SHAKS. Cytnb. iv. ii. 17,
I louethee. .How much the quantity, the waightasmuch,As
I do loue my Father. 1647 N. BACON Disc. Govt. Eng. i. liii.
(1739) 94 Fine and Pledges shall be according to the quantity
of the offence. 1780 BENTHAM 1'rinc. Legist, xvii. 15
Any punishment is subservient to reformation in proportion
to its quantity. 1817 POLLOK Course T. v in, He prayed by
quantity.
t c. Of money, payment, etc. Obs.
1460 FORTESCUE Abs. $ Lint. Mon. vi. (1885) 121 The
iiij lk or the v" parte
of the quantite of his expenses. 1518
Gal-way Arch, in loth Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 403
That some or quauntit of such monye as they playe for.
a 1548 HALL Chron., Edvi. IV 223 b, The fees of canonizyng
of a kyng, wer of so great a quantitie at Rome [etc.]. 1600
HAMILTON in Cath. Tract. (S. T. S.) 219 The qualitie and
quantitie of the oblation. 1714 FORTESCUE-ALAND Pref.
Fortcscue's Abs. $ Lim. Man. 48 The Lord was to forfeit
30*. which was then near as much in Quantity as 5/. now.
'775 JOHNSON Tax. no Tyr. 15 The quantity of this payment.
td. Number, numbers. (Cf. o.) Obs. rare.
I4S SIR G. HAVE Law Arms (S. "f. S.) 10 The cristin
men.. war all persewit and put to dede in grete quantitee.
1581 N. BURNE in Cath. Tract. (S. T. S.) 135 To mak
Chalices of gold and siluer in mair quantitie and aboundance
nor befoir.
3. Length or duration in time. Now only in the
legal phrase Quantity of estate, the length of time
during which the right of enjoyment of an estate
is to continue.
c 1391 CHAUCER Astral, ll. { j Rekne thanne the quantite
of tyme in the bordure by-twixe bothe prikkes. Ibid. 9
To Knowe the quantite of the day vulgare. 1588 A. KING
tr. Canisius G vij, According to the quantitie of the yere,
obserueit in that age to contene 304 dayes. 1818 CRUISE
Digest (ed. 2) II. 354 The alteration in the particular estate
. .must amount to an alteration in its quantity. 1841 Penny
Cycl. _XIX. 46/1 Where the word Estate is used in its
technical sense, it . . [means] the quantity and quality of
enjoyment of the thing.
b. Pros. Length or shortness of sounds or syllables,
determined by the time required to pro-
nounce them. Chiefly
used with reference to
Greek and Latin verse, in which the metres are
based on quantity. False : quantity see FALSE a. i.
1563-7 BUCHANAN Reform. St. Andros Wks. (1892) 9 Thys
classe sal reid . . sum buik of Ouide, and the quantiteis of
syllabes. 1586 W. WEBBE Poetrie Eng. (Arb.) 69 As for the
quantity of our wordes, therein lyeth great difficultye.
a 1637 B. JONSON Eng. Gram, iii, All our vowels are . . In
quantity (which is time) long or short. 1717-41 CHAMBERS
Cycl. s.v., The quantity of the syllables is but little fixed in
the modern tongues. 1774 WARTON Hist. Eng. Poetry
(1840) I. Diss. ii. 108 King Chilperic.. wrote two books of
Latin verses . . without any idea of the common quantities.
1850 THACKERAY Virgin, v, George knew much more Latin
. . than his master, and caught him in . . perpetual false
quantities. 1887 RUSKIN Praeterita II. 275 A rightly bred
scholar who knew his grammar and his quantities.
C. Mus. Length or duration of notes.
1597 MORLEY Introd. Mus. a The quantitie of euery note
and rest in the song. 1674 PLAYFORD Skill Mus. I. vii. 24
Measure in this Science is a Quantity of the length and
shortness of Time. iSix BUSBY Diet. Mus. s.v., Quantity,
in music, .does not signify the number of notes, or syllables,
but their relative duration.
4. In the most abstract sense, esp. as the subject
of mathematics : That property of things which is
'
involved in the questions how great ? '
or ' how
much ? '
and is determinable, or regarded as being
so, by measurement of some kind.
In this sense continuous and discrete quantity are dis-
'
: tinguished see DISCRETE 2. Quantity '
is the second of
the ten Aristotelian categories.
1530 PALSCR. Introd. 144 Some [adverbs] betoken quantite.
1570, 1687, etc. [see DISCRETE]. 1690 LOCKE Hum. Und.
iv. iii. (1695) 314 The Ideas of Quantity are not those alone
:hat are capable of Demonstration and Knowledge. 1756
BuRKE^wW. Sf B. ni.ii, All proportions, every arrangement of
quantity, is alike to the understanding. 1797 Encycl. Brit.
ed. 3) XV. 741/1 Mathematics is. .employed in discovering
and stating many relations of quantity. 1864 UOWEN Logic
ii. 185 Mathematics is the science of pure quantity.
5. Logic, a. The extension or intension of a term,
distinguished as extensive and intensive quantity
^see the adjs.). b. The degree of extension which
T proposition gives to the term forming its subject,
and according to which it is said to be universal,
particular, singular, and indefinite or indeterminate
(see these words).