Quale
/ˈkwɑːli/noun
An individual instance of subjective conscious experience, such as a particular color, pain, or taste.
Did you know?The philosophical use of quale was revived in the 20th century, while its Latin ancestor qualis originally asked “of what kind?”—making consciousness itself a category-question.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kwo-
“Interrogative and relative stem meaning “who,” “what,” or “which””
Ancient Latin
Latin
qualis
“Of what kind; what sort of”
Classical Latin
Latin
quale
“Neuter form of qualis, meaning “what kind of thing””
Medieval Latin
Latin
qualia
“Plural neuter forms used for kinds or qualities”
1920s
English
quale
“An individual quality or conscious experience”
Modern English
English
quale
“A subjective feature of experience, such as the felt redness of red”