able
Part of speech: adj
noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: government
law
military
nautical
politics
transport
war
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ-
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti
Proto-Indo-European *gʰh₁bʰéh₁yeti
Proto-Italic *haβēō
Latin habeō
Proto-Indo-European *-elis
Proto-Italic *-elis
Latin -ilis
Latin habilis
Old French ablebor.
Middle English able
English able
From Middle English able, from Old Northern French able, variant of Old French abile, habile, from Latin habilis (“easily managed, held, or handled; apt; skillful”). Doublet of habile.
Inflected forms:
form: abler
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: ablest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: hable
pos: adj
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: hable
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task.
pos: adj
examples: She is able to lift the box without assistance.
gloss: Free from constraints preventing completion of task; permitted to; not prevented from.
pos: adj
examples: In a democratic world you'd be able to say what you thought wherever you were.
I'll see you as soon as I'm able.
With that obstacle removed, I am now able to proceed with my plan.
gloss: Gifted with skill, intelligence, knowledge, or competence.
pos: adj
examples: The chairman was also an able sailor.
Natures that haue much Heat, and great and violent deſires and Perturbations, are not ripe for Action, till they haue paſſed the Meridian of their yeares: As it was with Iulius Cæſar, and Septimius Seuerus. […] And yet he [Septimus Severus] was the Ableſt Emperour, almoſt, of all the Liſt.
Urania speaks with darken’d brow:
⁠‘Thou pratest here where thou art least;
⁠This faith has many a purer priest,
And many an abler voice than thou: […]’
gloss: Legally qualified or competent.
pos: adj
examples: He is able to practice law in six states.
gloss: Capable of performing all the requisite duties; as an able seaman.
pos: adj
gloss: Having the physical strength; robust; healthy.
pos: adj
tags: dialectal
obsolete
examples: After the past week of forced marches, only half the men are fully able.
gloss: Easy to use.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: As the hands are the most habil parts of the body...
gloss: Suitable; competent.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: […] and for every able man servant that he or she shall carry or send armed and provided as aforesaid, ninety acres of land of like measure.
gloss: Liable to.
pos: adj
tags: dialectal
obsolete
gloss: Rich; well-to-do.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: He was born to an able family.
gloss: The letter "A" in Navy Phonetic Alphabet.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
Related words: -able
-ible
Derived words: ability
able-bodied
able-bodism
able-bodyism
able-bodyist
ableism
ableist
able-minded
ablenationalism
ablenationalist
ableness
ablenormative
ablenormativity
able rating
able seaman
ablesplain
able whackets
ablings
ably
aiblins
be able
differently able
disability
disable
disabled
disablism
enable
inable
reablement
transableism
unable
Translations:
lang: Arabic
word: قَادِر
roman: qādir
lang: Arabic
word: قَدِير
roman: qadīr
lang: Arabic
word: بَارِع
roman: bāriʕ
lang: Arabic
word: مَاهِر
roman: māhir
lang: Arabic
word: شاطر
roman: šāṭer
lang: Armenian
word: ընդունակ
roman: əndunak
lang: Armenian
word: ճարտար
roman: čartar
lang: Belarusian
word: здо́льны
roman: zdólʹny
lang: Bulgarian
word: способен, умел, годен
roman: sposoben, umel, goden
lang: Bulgarian
word: кадъ́рен
roman: kadǎ́ren
lang: Burmese
word: စွမ်း
roman: cwam:
lang: Catalan
word: capaç
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 能幹 /能干
roman: nénggàn
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 得力
roman: délì
lang: Czech
word: schopný
lang: Danish
word: habil
lang: Danish
word: kompetent
lang: Danish
word: dygtig
lang: Dutch
word: competent
lang: Dutch
word: handig
lang: Dutch
word: bedreven
lang: Dutch
word: kundig
lang: Esperanto
word: lerta
lang: Finnish
word: taitava
lang: Finnish
word: pystyvä
lang: Finnish
word: hyvä
lang: French
word: capable
lang: French
word: expérimenté
lang: West-Frisian
word: betûft
lang: Georgian
word: მარჯვე
roman: marǯve
lang: Georgian
word: უნარიანი
roman: unariani
lang: German
word: fähig
lang: German
word: tüchtig
lang: Greek
word: ικανός
roman: ikanós
lang: Hebrew
word: יכול
roman: yakhool
lang: Hebrew
word: מסוגל
roman: mesugal
lang: Hindi
word: समर्थ
roman: samarth
lang: Hungarian
word: rátermett
lang: Hungarian
word: ügyes
lang: Hungarian
word: tehetséges
lang: Hungarian
word: jó képességű
lang: Hungarian
word: hozzáértő
lang: Indonesian
word: sanggup
lang: Irish
word: ábalta
lang: Irish
word: in ann
lang: Italian
word: abile
lang: Japanese
word: 有能
roman: yūnō
lang: Japanese
word: 腕利き
roman: udekiki
lang: Korean
word: 능란한
roman: neungnanhan
lang: Latin
word: potis
lang: Latin
word: potens
lang: Latin
word: habilis
lang: Latvian
word: izdarīgs
lang: Latvian
word: veikls
lang: Luxembourgish
word: fäeg
lang: Luxembourgish
word: capabel
lang: Luxembourgish
word: dichteg
lang: Macedonian
word: способен
roman: sposoben
lang: Malay
word: boleh
lang: Malayalam
word: കഴിവുള്ള
roman: kaḻivuḷḷa
lang: Maltese
word: kapaċi
lang: Polish
word: umiejętny
lang: Polish
word: zręczny
lang: Polish
word: zdolny
lang: Portuguese
word: capaz
lang: Portuguese
word: hábil
lang: Quechua
word: kuti
lang: Romanian
word: abil
lang: Romanian
word: capabil
lang: Russian
word: спосо́бный
roman: sposóbnyj
lang: Russian
word: уме́лый
roman: umélyj
lang: Sanskrit
word: समर्थ
roman: samartha
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: comasach
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: sposoban
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: способан
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: vješt
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: вјешт
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: kadar
lang: Slovak
word: schopný
lang: Spanish
word: diestro
lang: Spanish
word: hábil
lang: Spanish
word: capaz
lang: Sundanese
word: kersa
lang: Swedish
word: kompetent
lang: Swedish
word: skicklig
lang: Tocharian B
word: cämpamo
lang: Ukrainian
word: здібний
roman: zdibnyj
lang: Vietnamese
word: có năng lực
lang: Vietnamese
word: có tài
lang: Volapük
word: skilik