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

The U.S. could use leaders of his competence and steely principle today.

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He’s famously wary of investing outside his “circle of competence” and has mostly avoided the tech sector.

Read more on Barron's

Maduro promoted officers at a dizzying pace, primarily based on loyalty rather than competence, former military officers and researchers who have studied the Venezuelan military say.

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A Cas statement said the FIG argued it had "no prerogatives" in the issuing of entry visas, and the Indonesian government's decision not to grant the visas falls "outside the competence" of the organisation.

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Her political balance sheet is different from Mr. Youngkin, who blends competence and focus with a seemingly endless supply of good cheer.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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