quantity — ODE

quantity /ˈkwɒntɪti

▸ noun

(plural quantities)

[mass noun]

1 the amount or number of a material or abstract thing not usually estimated by spatial measurement:

the quantity and quality of the fruit can be controlled.

▪ [count noun] a certain, usually specified, amount or number of something:

a small quantity of food

if taken in large quantities, the drug can result in liver failure.

▪ (quantities) a considerable number or amount of something:

she was able to drink quantities of beer without degenerating into giggles

[mass noun] many people like to buy in quantity.

2 Phonetics the perceived length of a vowel sound or syllable.

3 Mathematics Physics a value or component that may be expressed in numbers.

▪ [count noun] the figure or symbol representing a quantity.

– ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French quantite, from Latin quantitas (translating Greek posotēs), from quantus ‘how great, how much’.