enabling

American  

[en-ey-bling] / ɛnˈeɪ blɪŋ /

adjective

Law.

1. conferring additional legal powers or capacities, especially by removing a barrier to action, suspending required permission, or relaxing oversight: enabling power.

   an enabling act;

   enabling power.

---

Etymology

Origin of enabling

First recorded in 1670–80; enable + -ing ²

Explanation

Enabling is a term used for laws that confer legal powers to someone or something. An enabling act makes it possible for authorities to take action. One meaning of the verb enable is "to provide with legal powers," so the adjective formed by adding -ing gets used to describe legislation that has that empowering effect. When new American states were formed out of frontier territories, they could either organize statehood themselves, or they could be admitted into the Union through an "enabling act" of Congress.

Example Sentences

Here is where the lessons of the Enabling Act become crucial.

From Salon • Feb. 16, 2025

Enabling data mining on a broad scale will also require getting more authors and publishers to adopt non-PDF formats that help machines efficiently digest a paper’s contents.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 21, 2023

“I applaud the 13 to 0 vote by the City Council, affirming the merit of this case. Enabling predators isn’t leadership — residents of Los Angeles deserved better.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 2023

Enabling a vessel to be blown along by the wind, rather than rely solely on its engine, could hopefully eventually reduce a cargo ship's lifetime emissions by 30%.

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2023

Hitler then asked the Nazi-controlled Reichstag to pass an Enabling Act, a law that gave Hitler the sole power to make laws.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• permissive