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

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkwɒn.tɪ.ti/

  • Audio (UK):

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

  • Audio (US):

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  • Audio (US):

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    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/

quantity (countable and uncountable, plural quantities, abbreviation 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.

   Coordinate terms: entity, property, trait, characteristic; dimension, magnitude, measure, measurement, size, amount, degree, value

   You have to choose between quantity and quality.

   • 1999, Arnošt Kotyk, “Introduction”, in Quantities, Symbols, Units, and Abbreviations in the Life Sciences: A Guide for Authors and Editors, Humana Press, →ISBN:

     A few comments on the words used in the title of the book and on some related expressions are necessary. A "quantity" is here understood in the sense of "a thing that has the property of being measurable in dimensions, amounts, etc., or in extensions of these which can be expressed in numbers and symbols" (Webster's New World Dictionary of [the American Language], Third Edition, 1988), or of "something having magnitude, or size, extent, amount, and the like" (Random House Webster's College Dictionary, 1991; The New Hamlyn Encyclopaedic World Dictionary, 1988). It is interesting that up to the 1950s a "quantity" was defined as what we now describe as "magnitude" (e.g., the unabridged Webster's New International Dictionary, 1948, gives examples of a sphere's surface being a quantity, its area a magnitude, or a yardstick being a quantity, its length a magnitude). This practice is now obsolete and at present length is a quantity, its numerical value its magnitude.

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

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

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

7. (phonology) Length of sounds.

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

• measure
• unit

• “quantity”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “quantity”, in The Century Dictionary[…], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “quantity”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.