able
[ ey-buhl ]
/ ˈeɪ bəl /
adjective, a·bler, a·blest.
having necessary power, skill, resources, or qualifications; qualified: able to lift a two-hundred-pound weight; able to write music; able to travel widely; able to vote.
having unusual or superior intelligence, skill, etc.: an able leader.
showing talent, skill, or knowledge: an able speech.
legally empowered, qualified, or authorized.
noun
(usually initial capital letter) a code word formerly used in communications to represent the letter A.
Nearby words
ablative absolute, ablatively, ablator, ablaut, ablaze, ablest, able rating, able seaman, able-bodied, able-bodied seaman, abled
Origin of able
1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French < Latin habilis handy, equivalent to hab(ēre) to have, hold + -ilis -ile
SYNONYMS FOR able
Related formso·ver·a·ble, adjectiveo·ver·a·b·ly, adverb
Synonym study
1. Able, capable, competent all mean possessing adequate power for doing something. Able implies power equal to effort required: able to finish in time. Capable implies power to meet or fulfill ordinary requirements: a capable worker. Competent suggests power to meet demands in a completely satisfactory manner: a competent nurse.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ablest
British Dictionary definitions for ablest
able
/ (ˈeɪbəl) /
adjective
(postpositive) having the necessary power, resources, skill, time, opportunity, etc, to do somethingable to swim
capable; competent; talentedan able teacher
law qualified, competent, or authorized to do some specific act
Word Origin for able
C14: ultimately from Latin habilis easy to hold, manageable, apt, from habēre to have, hold + -ilis -ile
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for ablest
able
early 14c., from Old French (h)able (14c.), from Latin habilem, habilis "easily handled, apt," verbal adjective from habere "to hold" (see habit). "Easy to be held," hence "fit for a purpose." The silent h- was dropped in English and resisted academic attempts to restore it 16c.-17c., but some derivatives acquired it (e.g. habiliment, habilitate), via French.
Able-whackets - A popular sea-game with cards, in which the loser is beaten over the palms of the hands with a handkerchief tightly twisted like a rope. Very popular with horny-fisted sailors. [Smyth, "Sailor's Word-Book," 1867]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper