(1)数量(measurable property of sth in size，number，weight，etc)[U]：be greater in/be more interested in/depends more on quality than～质量好但是数量不多/更感兴趣的是质而不是量/更取决于质而不是量;be a question of～，not quality是数量问题，而不是质量问题;It's quality not～that really counts.真正重要的是质而不是量。

(2)(大)量(amount or considerable amount)[U，C]：a small/large/vast/great～of food少量/大量/大量/大量的食物;What～of paper/salt/flour do you need? 你要多少纸张/食盐/面粉? produce oil/buy goods/sell coal/extract ore in～大量生产石油/购买商品/销售煤炭/开采矿石;Natural gas was discovered in large～ies.发现了大量天然气。〖同〗amount，volume;

an unknown quantity 未知因素：The outside world was a totally unknown～to her.对她来说外部世界完全是个未知数。He's an unknown～.他是个难以预料的人。

→′quantitative adj 数量的，定量的，用数量表示的;′quantitatively adv 与量有关地