able

See also -able

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Old Northern French able, variant of Old French habile, from Latin habilis, from habeō (“have, hold”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈeɪ.bl̩/, /ˈeɪ.bəl/, SAMPA: /eIbl=/, /eIb@l/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪbəl
• Hyphenation: a‧ble
• Homophone: Abel

Adjective

able (comparative abler, superlative ablest)

1. (dated) Healthy.

   After the past week of forced marches, only half the men are fully able.

2. Permitted to; not prevented from; having the power or capacity to.

   With that obstacle removed, I am now able to proceed with my plan.

   I’m only able to visit you when I have other work here.

   I’ll see you as soon as I’m able.

3. Skillful.

   The chairman was also an able sailor.

4. (law) Legally qualified or competent.

   In most states, such a person is not able to inherit property.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:skillful

Derived terms

terms derived from able (adjective)

ability -able able-bodied able seaman ableism be able, be able to

capable disable disabled disablism disability enable

Translations

healthy

Arabic: صحي (ar) (SiHHiy) Armenian: պիտանի (hy) (pitani) Bulgarian: здрав (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: 健康 (cmn) (jiànkāng) Danish: sund (da) Dutch: gezond (nl), abel (nl) (archaic) Estonian: terve (et) Faroese: frískur (fo)

Finnish: terve (fi) French: sain (fr) German: gesund (de) Greek: ικανός (el) (ikanós) Japanese: 健康 (kenkō) Korean: 기운 있는 (giun inneun) Latin: sanus (la) Russian: крепкий (ru) (krépkij), здоровый (ru) (zdoróvyj) Spanish: sano (es)

permitted to

American Sign Language: A@Sternumhigh-PalmDown-A@Sternumhigh-PalmDown A@Chesthigh-PalmDown-A@Chesthigh-PalmDown Arabic: قادر (ar) (qaadir) Armenian: ունակ (hy) (unak), կարող (hy) (karoġ) Bulgarian: компетентен (bg), позволен, в състояние да (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: 能 (cmn) (néng), 會 (cmn), 会 (cmn) (huì) Danish: i stand til (da), have mulighed for (da) Dutch: in staat (nl) (om (nl)), de (nl) mogelijkheid (nl) hebben (nl) (om te (nl)) Estonian: suuteline, võimeline Finnish: kykenevä (fi) French: capable (fr) German: imstande (de), fähig (de) Greek: δυνάμενος, μπορώ να (boró na), είμαι ικανός να (íme ikanós na) Hebrew: יָכֹל (yachol)

Irish: ábalta (ga) Japanese: できる (ja) (dekiru) Jingpho: dang di lu ai Korean: 할 수 있는 (hal su inneun) Latin: potis (la), potens (la), sanus (la), licens (la) Lojban: kakne Malay: dapat (ms) Maltese: kapaċi Polish: móc, mieć możliwość, potrafić Rohingya: fare Russian: в состоянии (v sostojánii), способный (ru) (sposóbnyj) Slovak: schopný m., schopná f., schopné n. Spanish: capaz (es) Swedish: kapabel (sv), i stånd att (sv), ha möjlighet att (sv) Volapük: fägik (vo)

skillful

Arabic: قادر (ar) (qaadir), قدير (ar) (qadiir), بارع (ar) (baari`) Armenian: ընդունակ (hy) (ëndunak), ճարտար (hy) (č̣artar) Bulgarian: способен, умел, годен (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: 能幹 (cmn), 能干 (cmn) (nénggàn), 得力 (cmn) (délì) Danish: habil (da), kompetent (da), dygtig (da) Dutch: competent (nl), handig (nl), bedreven (nl) Finnish: taitava (fi) French: capable (fr), expérimenté (fr) German: fähig (de), tüchtig (de) Greek: ικανός (el) (ikanós) Hebrew: יכול (he) (yakhool) m., מסוגל (he) (mesugal) m. Irish: ábalta (ga)

Japanese: 有能 (ja) (yūnō), 腕利き (ja) (udekiki) Korean: 능란한 (neung-nahn-hwan) Latin: potis (la), potens (la), habilis (la) Maltese: kapaċi Polish: umiejętny, zręczny, zdolny (pl) m. Romanian: abil (ro) Russian: способный (ru) (sposóbnyj), умелый (ru) (umélyj) Scottish Gaelic: comasach (gd) Slovak: schopný m., schopná f., schopné n. Spanish: diestro (es), hábil (es), capaz (es) Swedish: kompetent (sv), skicklig (sv) Volapük: skilik (vo) West Frisian: betûft (fy)

legally qualified

American Sign Language: A@Sternumhigh-PalmDown-A@Sternumhigh-PalmDown A@Chesthigh-PalmDown-A@Chesthigh-PalmDown Bulgarian: компетентен (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: 有資格 (cmn), 有资格 (cmn) (yǒu zīgé) Dutch: competent (nl), in (nl) aanmerking (nl) komend (nl) Estonian: pädev French: habilité (fr) German: kompetent (de)

Greek: αρτιμελής (el), έχων σώας τας φρένας Japanese: 有資格の (ゆうしかくの, yūshikaku-no) Korean: 유자격의 (yujagyeok-ui) Latin: potis (la), potens (la) Russian: компетентный (ru) (kompeténtnyj), полноправный (ru) (polnoprávnyj) Slovak: kompetentný m., kompetentná f., kompetentné n. Spanish: competente (es) Volapük: duinafägik (vo)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Basque: gauza (2), gai (2), trebe (3), iaio (3), abil (3) Breton: gouest da + verb / d'ober un dra bennak (to do something), barrek Esperanto: ebla Indonesian: mampu Lithuanian: įgalus Rohingya: fare Telugu: శక్తి (sekti) Vietnamese: có năng lực, có tài, có đủ tư cách, có đủ thẩm quyền

Verb

able (third-person singular simple present ables, present participle abling, simple past and past participle abled)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To make capable; to enable; to strengthen.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To vouch for.
   • 1605, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Lear, Act IV vi

     I’ll able ’em.

Derived terms

• abled

Translations

enable — see enable

vouch for — see vouch for

Shorthand

• Gregg (Version: Centennial,Series 90,DJS,Simplified,Anniversary,Pre-Anniversary): a - b - l

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: care · war · short · #391: able · five · need · met

Anagrams

• Abel, albe, bale, Elba

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French

Noun

able m. (plural ables)

1. A vernacular name of the common bleak (usually called ablette).
2. A vernacular name of the moderlieschen, also called able de Heckel.
3. (rare) A vernacular name of some other related fishes in the genus Alburnus (Cyprinidae).

Anagrams

• Abel, Bâle, béal, bêla