to determine the nature; to ascertain composition or properties
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesverb
to determine the composition and properties of a substance; to ascertain the nature of something
The original technical meaning pertains to chemistry, materials science, and other disciplines involving analysis of components and properties.
The chemist is conducting a qualitative analysis of this newly synthesized compound.
It's difficult to determine the nature of this ore based on appearance alone.
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This problem is quite complex; we need to conduct qualitative research first.
verb
to determine the nature of a person's mistake or crime; to assign a political or disciplinary label
formalOften used in political or legal contexts, historically associated with assigning class labels or determining the severity of a political error.
The organization is in the process of determining the nature of the responsibility for this accident.
The nature of this case has not been officially determined yet.
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During that period, once a person was labeled a 'rightist,' the consequences were very severe.