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

In its ruling on Tuesday, the ECJ said that while marriage rules fell within each member state's competence, "countries were required to comply with EU law in exercising that competence".

Read more on BBC

But using my cleaver has taught me a little more patience and a bit more competence.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For Highshaw, cultural competence is “not optional,” especially in a diverse state like California.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Artificial intelligence can miss critical warning signs and fail to detect psychiatric emergencies, yet because the chatbots show competence in some areas, teens might assume they are reliable for mental-health support, the study found.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The “buffoon” story comforts those who can’t face the professional competence behind the chaos.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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