Able

Able
Able A"ble, a. [comp. {Abler}; superl. {Ablest}.] [OF. habile, L. habilis that may be easily held or managed, apt, skillful, fr. habere to have, hold. Cf. {Habile} and see {Habit}.] 1. Fit; adapted; suitable. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

A many man, to ben an abbot able. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

2. Having sufficient power, strength, force, skill, means, or resources of any kind to accomplish the object; possessed of qualifications rendering competent for some end; competent; qualified; capable; as, an able workman, soldier, seaman, a man able to work; a mind able to reason; a person able to be generous; able to endure pain; able to play on a piano. [1913 Webster]

3. Specially: Having intellectual qualifications, or strong mental powers; showing ability or skill; talented; clever; powerful; as, the ablest man in the senate; an able speech. [1913 Webster]

No man wrote abler state papers. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

4. (Law) Legally qualified; possessed of legal competence; as, able to inherit or devise property. [1913 Webster]

Note:

{Able for}, is Scotticism.

``Hardly able for such a march.'' --Robertson. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Competent; qualified; fitted; efficient; effective; capable; skillful; clever; vigorous; powerful. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу
Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • -able — ♦ Élément, du lat. abilis, signifiant « qui peut être » (récupérable, ministrable) ou moins souvent « qui donne », « enclin à » (secourable, pitoyable). able Suffixe, du lat. abilis, qui peut être (ex. faisable, mangeable) ou enclin à être ( …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Able — may refer to:In science and technology: * ABLE (nuclear weapon), a U.S. 1946 nuclear weapon test series * ABLE (programming language), a simplified programming language * Able space probes, probes in the Pioneer program * Able, one of the first… …   Wikipedia

  • -able — able, ible 1. general. These two suffixes are derived from Latin endings abilis and ibilis, either directly or through Old French. Of the two, able is an active suffix that can be freely added to the stems of transitive verbs, whereas the set of… …   Modern English usage

  • able — ● able nom masculin (latin albulus, blanchâtre) Poisson d eau douce (cyprinidé), voisin de l ablette. ⇒ABLE, subst. masc. A. ICHTYOL. Terme générique désignant une variété de poissons d eau douce (cyprinidés) et de couleur claire. B. Poisson… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • able to — The construction to be able to (do something), with an active to infinitive, is a natural part of the language, extending to inanimate as well as animate subjects • (By his proceeding to the beach…the next phase of the attack was able to proceed… …   Modern English usage

  • -able — a*ble ( [.a]*b l). [F. able, L. abilis.] An adjective suffix now usually in a passive sense; able to be; fit to be; expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense; as, movable, able to be moved; amendable, able to be amended; blamable, fit… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • able — adj 1: possessed of needed powers or of needed resources to accomplish an objective able to perform under the contract 2: having freedom from restriction or obligation or from conditions preventing an action able to vote 3: legally qualified:… …   Law dictionary

  • able — able, capable, competent, qualified are close synonyms when they denote having marked power or fitness for work and are used attributively. Placed after the noun, able (followed by to and infinitive) and capable (followed by of) suggest mere… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • able — [ā′bəl] adj. abler [ā′blər] ablest [ā′bləst] [ME < OFr hable, habile < L habilis, easily handled, apt < habere, to have, hold: see HABIT] 1. having enough power, skill, etc. to do something [able to read] 2. having much power of mind;… …   English World dictionary

  • Able — de Heckel Able de Heckel …   Wikipédia en Français

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