primary quality

American  

noun

Epistemology.

1. any of the qualities inherent in an object, namely quantity, extent, figure, solidity, and motion or rest.

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Etymology

Origin of primary quality

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

By contrast, Matthen sees color as more reality-dependent than the feeling of pleasure, while still being less real world-based than a so-called primary quality, like the movement or size of atoms.

From Salon

Asked to sum up the primary quality a leader needs, Hogan led off his response with: “Keep your word. Everything after that pales by comparison.”

From Washington Post

That means fewer than 24 percent of hospitals meet Medicare's primary quality goal.

From US News

Both William Hartnell and Peter Capaldi were cast as the Doctor at the age of 55 Writing in Mark Lawson suggested that "danger" was Capaldi's primary quality as an actor.

From BBC

Most reactions to this experiment have been negative, not least because the proposal seems to invert the primary quality of the physical book: its persistence over time.

From The Guardian