cilësor

Cilësor is a term used in Albanian linguistics to describe a class of adjectives that express inherent properties or qualities of a noun, such as color, size, material, age, or state. The word derives from cilësi, meaning quality, with the suffix -or, yielding a label that translates roughly to “qualitative” in English.

In practice, cilësor adjectives describe what kind a thing is, rather than how many or in what order. They commonly denote attributes such as color, shape, weight, or texture and participate in the usual Albanian agreement system, changing form to match the noun’s gender and number. They also typically accompany the noun they modify and may appear in grammatically definite constructions, for example after the noun phrase: qeni i madh (the big dog) or mollë e kuqe (red apple).

Examples of cilësor adjectives include madh (big), i madh, e madhe; kuq/ e kuqe (red); dhekuptoj, gjatë (long). These adjectives describe qualities rather than quantities or numerical attributes.

Cilësor adjectives are contrasted with numerale or numeror categories, which express quantity or order, such as një, dy, së pari, and other numeral forms. They are essential for descriptive writing, product descriptions, and any discourse that conveys characteristics, appearance, or condition without focusing on quantity.

See also: Albanian grammar, adjectives in Albanian, qualitative descriptors.