איכות

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
א־י־ך (ʾ-y-k)

From אֵיךְ (ékh, “how”) +‎ ־וּת (-út, “-ness, -ity; a suffix forming nouns, especially abstract nouns”), similar to the coinage of Latin quālitās (from which English quality is derived).

Pronunciation

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Noun

אֵיכוּת • (ekhút) f (plural indefinite איכויות / אֵיכֻיּוֹת)

1. quality [from the Middle Ages]
   • c. 1140, Yehuda Halevi, Judah ibn Tibbon (Translator to Hebrew), Hartwig Hirschfeld (Translator to English), Kuzari, Article 5:2:

     וְאֹמַר כִּי הַמּוּחָשִׁים לֹא הִשַּׂגְנוּ בְחוּשֵׁינוּ כִּי אִם כַּמּוּתָם וְאֵיכוּתָם, וְיִגְזֹר הַשֵּׂכֶל כִּי הֵם נְשׂוּאוֹת בְּנוֹשֵׂא, וְהַנּוֹשֵׂא הַהוּא יִקְשֶׁה לְהַעֲלוֹת צוּרָתוֹ עַל לֵב, וְאֵיךְ נַעֲלֶה עַל לֵב צוּרַת דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין לוֹ כַמּוּת וְלֹא אֵיכוּת?

     As regards tangible objects, we can perceive their quantity and quality by means of our senses, whilst reason maintains that they are borne by a fulcrum which is difficult to imagine. How can we imagine a thing that has neither quantity nor quality?

Derived terms

• אֵיכוּת הַסְּבִיבָה (ekhút hasvivá, “quality of the environment”)
• הַבְטָחַת אֵיכוּת (havtakhát ekhút, “quality assurance”)