---
tag: MFV98WTF4G
kind: concept
name: Generalized quantifier
aliases: [generalized-quantifiers, quantification-linguistics, quantifiers-linguistics]
sources:
  - wikipedia: en:7959499@r1366721445
    locator: Generalized quantifier
    note: adopted
    mention: wikipedia://en/7959499
    sections: [Summary]
same_as:
  wikidata: Q5532504
  wikipedia: Generalized quantifier
inventory: [48E6CEX9DA]
---

## Summary

In formal semantics, a **generalized quantifier** (**GQ**) is an expression that denotes a set of sets. This is the standard semantics assigned to [[quantified|0FYQMKFE77]] noun phrases. For example, the generalized quantifier *every boy* denotes the set of sets of which every boy is a member:

$$\{X \mid \forall x (x \text{ is a boy} \to x \in X) \}$$

This treatment of quantifiers has been essential in achieving a compositional semantics for sentences containing quantifiers.