secondary quality

American  

noun

Epistemology.

1. one of the qualities attributed by the mind to an object perceived, such as color, temperature, or taste.

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Etymology

Origin of secondary quality

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

Color is a secondary quality, therefore less important than form.

From Modern Painters Volume I (of V) by Ruskin, John

The goods displayed in the windows are of a secondary quality, at best; and the people who throng the pavements are people who want second-rate articles.

From The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 1, August, 1851 by Various

Physical courage is, after all, but a secondary quality, and needs a sublime motive to make it thoroughly sublime.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 13, November, 1858 by Various

But color is, after all, a very secondary quality as compared with form.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 08, No. 45, July, 1861 by Various

Because we know not the real constitutions of substances, on which each secondary quality particularly depends.

From An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 2 MDCXC, Based on the 2nd Edition, Books 3 and 4 by Locke, John