quantifier

American  

[kwon-tuh-fahy-er] / ˈkwɒn təˌfaɪ ər /

noun

1. Logic. an expression, as “all” or “some,” that indicates the quantity of a proposition.

2. a word, especially a modifier, that indicates the quantity of something.

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quantifier British  

/ ˈkwɒntɪˌfaɪə /

noun

1. logic

   1. a symbol including a variable that indicates the degree of generality of the expression in which that variable occurs, as (∃ x ) in (∃ x ) Fx , rendered "something is an F", ( x ) in ( x )( Fx → Gx ), rendered "all Fs are Gs"

   2. any other symbol with an analogous interpretation

      the existential quantifier, (∃x), corresponds to the words "there is something, x, such that …"

2. grammar a word or phrase in a natural language having this role, such as some, all, or many in English

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Etymology

Origin of quantifier

First recorded in 1875–80; quantify + -er ¹

Example Sentences

He had nine sacks in the first eight games, and there’s no reliable quantifier for the upheaval he causes on countless plays when he records no stats.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2020

White was an early theorist and quantifier of what has come to be known as the summer slide—the learning loss that occurs when children are out of the classroom.

From The New Yorker • May 29, 2015

Finally, in many cases a quantifier naturally floats leftward away from the verb, unsplitting the infinitive:

From The Guardian • Aug. 15, 2014

You have to deal with things like imprecise quantifier scope.

From Slate • May 11, 2012

Sometimes it is the only resting place, particularly when the modifier is a negation or quantifier such as not of more than.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker