quantity

UK: /ˈkwɒntɪti/ US: /ˈkwɑntɪti/ ,(kwon′ti tē)

Inflections of 'quantity' (n): npl: quantities

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

quan•ti•ty /ˈkwɑntɪti/   n., pl. -ties. 

1. an amount that is indefinite or in a collection:
   [countable] a quantity of sugar; vast quantities of oil.
2. an exact or specified amount or measure:
   [countable] in the quantities called for.
3. a considerable or great amount:
   [uncountable] to buy food in quantity.
4. the fact of being an amount, degree, etc., of something, which can be greater or lesser:
   [uncountable] impressed by quality, not quantity.
5. any person, thing, or factor taken into consideration:
   [countable] The nominee was an unknown quantity.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

quan•ti•ty  (kwon′ti tē), n., pl. -ties. 

1. a particular or indefinite amount of anything:
   a small quantity of milk; the ocean's vast quantity of fish.
2. an exact or specified amount or measure:
   Mix the ingredients in the quantities called for.
3. a considerable or great amount:
   to extract ore in quantity.
4. [Math.]
   • the property of magnitude involving comparability with other magnitudes.
   • something having magnitude, or size, extent, amount, or the like.
   • magnitude, size, volume, area, or length.
5. Music and Dance the length or duration of a note.
6. Philosophy [Logic.] the character of a proposition as singular, universal, particular, or mixed, according to the presence or absence of certain kinds of quantifiers.
7. that amount, degree, etc., in terms of which another is greater or lesser.
8. Phonetics, Poetry [Pros., Phonet.] the relative duration or length of a sound or a syllable, with respect to the time spent in pronouncing it;
   length.
9. Law the nature of an estate as affected by its duration in time.

• Latin quantitās, equivalent. to quant(us) how much + -itās -ity
• Old French
• Middle English quantite 1250–1300

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

quantity / ˈkwɒntɪtɪ/ noun ( -ties)

1. a specified or definite amount, weight, number, etc
2. (as modifier): a quantity estimate
3. the aspect or property of anything that can be measured, weighed, counted, etc
4. a large or considerable amount
5. an entity having a magnitude that may be denoted by a numerical expression
6. a specified magnitude or amount; the product of a number and a unit
7. the characteristic of a proposition dependent on whether it is a universal or particular statement, considering all or only part of a class
8. the relative duration of a syllable or the vowel in it

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French quantité, from Latin quantitās extent, amount, from quantus how muchUSAGE
The use of a plural noun after quantity of as in a large quantity of bananas was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable