quality control
         n 1: maintenance of standards of quality of manufactured goods

English Dictionary: Qualittsmanagementwerkzeug	by the DICT Development Group
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Quality \Qual"i*ty\, n.; pl. {Qualities}. [F. qualit[82], L.       qualitas, fr. qualis how constituted, as; akin to E. which.       See {Which}.]       1. The condition of being of such and such a sort as             distinguished from others; nature or character relatively             considered, as of goods; character; sort; rank.                         We lived most joyful, obtaining acquaintance with                      many of the city not of the meanest quality. --Bacon          2. Special or temporary character; profession; occupation;             assumed or asserted rank, part, or position.                         I made that inquiry in quality of an antiquary.                                                                               --Gray.          3. That which makes, or helps to make, anything such as it             is; anything belonging to a subject, or predicable of it;             distinguishing property, characteristic, or attribute;             peculiar power, capacity, or virtue; distinctive trait;             as, the tones of a flute differ from those of a violin in             quality; the great quality of a statesman.          Note: Qualities, in metaphysics, are primary or secondary.                Primary are those essential to the existence, and even                the conception, of the thing, as of matter or spirit                Secondary are those not essential to such a conception.          4. An acquired trait; accomplishment; acquisition.                         He had those qualities of horsemanship, dancing, and                      fencing which accompany a good breeding.                                                                               --Clarendon.          5. Superior birth or station; high rank; elevated character.             [bd]Persons of quality.[b8] --Bacon.          {Quality binding}, a kind of worsted tape used in Scotland             for binding carpets, and the like.          {The quality}, those of high rank or station, as             distinguished from {the masses}, or common people; the             nobility; the gentry.                         I shall appear at the masquerade dressed up in my                      feathers, that the quality may see how pretty they                      will look in their traveling habits.   --Addison.          Syn: Property; attribute; nature; peculiarity; character;                sort; rank; disposition; temper.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Quilled \Quilled\, a.       Furnished with quills; also, shaped like quills. [bd]A       sharp-quilled porcupine.[b8] --Shak.          {Quilled suture} (Surg.), a variety of stitch in which the             threads after being passed deeply through the edges of a             wound are secured about two quills or bodies of similar             shape, in order to produce a suitable degree of pressure.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
quality assurance          (QA) A planned and systematic pattern of all actions       necessary to provide adequate confidence that the product       optimally fulfils customers' expectations, i.e. that it is       problem-free and well able to perform the task it was designed       for.          The QA of a commercial product usually involves {alpha       testing}, where an early version of the product is tested at       the developer's site, and is then improved accordingly.   Then,       an almost complete version of the product is made available       for {beta testing} by (selected) real users.   Faults       identified during beta testing should be fixed before the       product is released for full scale manufacturing and       distribution.          (2001-04-21)
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
quality control          The assessment of product compliance with stated       requirements.   Quality control should be independent from       production.          (2001-05-20)
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
Quality Systems & Software Ltd.          The company which produced the {DOORS} requirements       engineering tool.   They also provide consultancy as       Requirements Engineering Ltd.          {Home (http://www.qss.co.uk/)}.          E-mail: Ian Alexander , Amanda       Haisman-Baker <100023.44@compuserve.com>.          (1995-11-11)