competence

[kom-pi-tuhns]

noun

1. the quality of being competent; adequacy; possession of required skill, knowledge, qualification, or capacity.

   He hired her because of her competence as an accountant.

2. an income sufficient to furnish the necessities and modest comforts of life.

3. sufficiency; a sufficient quantity.

4. Law.,  (of a witness, a party to a contract, etc.) legal capacity or qualification based on the meeting of certain minimum requirements of age, soundness of mind, citizenship, or the like.

5. Embryology.,  the sum total of possible developmental responses of any group of blastemic cells under varied external conditions.

6. Linguistics.,  the implicit, internalized knowledge of a language that a speaker possesses and that enables the speaker to produce and understand the language.

7. Immunology.,  immunocompetence.

8. Geology.,  the ability of a fluid medium, as a stream or the wind, to move and carry particulate matter, measured by the size or weight of the largest particle that can be transported.

competence

/ ˈkɒmpɪtəns /

noun

1. the condition of being capable; ability

2. a sufficient income to live on

3. the state of being legally competent or qualified

4. embryol the ability of embryonic tissues to react to external conditions in a way that influences subsequent development

5. linguistics (in transformational grammar) the form of the human language faculty, independent of its psychological embodiment in actual human beings Compare performance langue parole

competence

1. The ability of bacteria to be undergo genetic transformation.

2. The ability to respond immunologically to an antigen, as in an immune cell responding to a virus.

3. The ability to function normally because of structural integrity, as in a heart valve.

Word History and Origins

Origin of competence¹

First recorded in 1585–95; compet(ent) + -ence

Example Sentences

Perhaps the most interesting decision Oppenheim makes is giving all the key players a measure of competence.

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“Clearly, her competence could not be the reason for her promotion,” King wrote in the legal filing.

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As well as surgical errors, she was found to have had poor insight into her own levels of competence, partly through being inexperienced, and that she had failed to seek help from more senior colleagues.

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Most recently another flashpoint has involved the removal of Inuit children from their families following "parenting competence" tests.

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She claims never to have doubted Biden’s competence, even while she worried about how he appeared to the public.

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Related Words

• appropriateness www.thesaurus.com
• capability 
• capacity 
• competency 
• expertise 
• fitness 
• know-how 
• proficiency 
• qualification 
• savvy 
• skill 
• suitability