• (obsolete)hable

• (Received Pronunciation)IPA^(key):/ˈeɪbl̩/,[ˈeɪ̯.bɫ̩]
• (General American)IPA^(key):/ˈeɪb(ə)l/

• Audio(General American):

  (file)

• (L-Vocalisation)IPA^(key):[ˈeɪ̯.bw]
• Homophone:Abel
• Rhymes:-eɪbəl

FromMiddle Englishable, fromOld Northern Frenchable, variant ofOld Frenchabile,habile, fromLatinhabilis(“easily managed, held, or handled; apt; skillful”), fromhabeō(“have, possess”) +‎-ibilis.

Broadly ousted the nativeOld Englishmagan.

able (comparativeabler,superlativeablest)

1. Having thenecessary powers or the neededresources toaccomplish a task.[First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]

   She isable to lift the box without assistance.

2. Free from constraints preventing completion of task;permitted to; notprevented from.[First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]

   In a democratic world you'd beable to say what you thought wherever you were.

   I'll see you as soon as I'mable.

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

3. Gifted withskill,intelligence,knowledge, orcompetence.[First attested in the mid 16^th century.]

   The chairman was also anable sailor.

   • 1625,Francis [Bacon], “Of Youth and Age. XLII.”, inThe Essayes […], 3rd edition, London:[…] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret,→OCLC,pages247–248:

     Natures that haue much Heat, and great and violent deſires and Perturbations, are not ripe for Action, till they haue paſſed the Meridian of their yeares: As it was withIulius Cæſar, andSeptimius Seuerus.[…] And yet he [Septimus Severus] was theAbleſt Emperour, almoſt, of all the Liſt.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXVII”, inIn Memoriam, London:Edward Moxon, […],→OCLC,page57:

     Urania speaks with darken’d brow:
     ⁠‘Thou pratest here where thou art least;
     ⁠This faith has many a purer priest,
     And many anabler voice than thou:[…]’

4. (law)Legallyqualified orcompetent.[First attested in the early 18^th century.]

   He isable to practice law in six states.

5. (nautical) Capable of performing all the requisite duties; as anable seaman.[First attested in the late 18^th century.]
6. (obsolete,dialectal) Having the physical strength;robust;healthy.[First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]

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

7. (obsolete) Easy to use.[Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 18^th century.]
   • 1710, Thomas Betterton,The life of Mr. Thomas Betterton, the late eminent tragedian.:

     As the hands are the mosthabil parts of the body...

8. (obsolete) Suitable; competent.[Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 18^th century.]
   • 2006, Jon L. Wakelyn,America's Founding Charters: Primary Documents of Colonial and Revolutionary Era Governance, volume 1, Greenwood Publishing Group, page212:

     […] and for everyable man servant that he or she shall carry or send armed and provided as aforesaid, ninety acres of land of like measure.

9. (obsolete,dialectal) Liable to.[First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
10. (obsolete)Rich; well-to-do.[Attested from the mid 16^th century until the late 19^th century.]

    He was born to anable family.

• In standard English, one is "ableto do something". In some older texts representing various dialects, particularly Irish English, or black speech, "ablefor do something" is found instead, and in some Caribbean dialects "ablewith" is sometimes found.^[1][2]

• See alsoThesaurus:skillful

• -able,-ible

FromMiddle Englishablen, fromMiddle Englishable (adjective).^[3]

able (third-person singular simple presentables,present participleabling,simple past and past participleabled)

1. (transitive,obsolete) To make ready.[Attested from around (1150 to 1350) until the late 16^th century.]
2. (transitive,obsolete) To make capable; toenable.[Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 19^th century.]
3. (transitive,obsolete) To dress.[Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 15^th century.]
4. (transitive,obsolete) To give power to; to reinforce; to confirm.[Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 17^th century.]
5. (transitive,obsolete) Tovouch for; to guarantee.[Attested from the late 16^th century until the early 17^th century.]
   • c.1603–1606,William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act IV, scene vi]:

     None does offend, none....I’llable ’em.

6. presentparticiple andgerund ofcan

   I might beable to go.

   I have beenable to go, since I was seven.

   I had beenable to go before.

   I will beable to go tomorrow.

• abled

From the first letter of the word. Suggested in the 1916United States Army Signal Book to distinguish the letter when communicating via telephone,^[4] and later adopted in other radio and telephone signal standards.

able (uncountable)

1. (military)The letter "A" inNavy Phonetic Alphabet.

• Most glosses:Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “able”, inThe Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.:Oxford University Press,→ISBN, page 5.

• Abel,Bale,Beal,Blea,Ebla,Elba,albe,bael,bale,beal,blea

• Audio:

  (file)

able m (pluralables)

1. a vernacular name of thecommon bleak (usually calledablette)
2. a vernacular name of thesunbleak ormoderlieschen, also calledable de Heckel
3. (rare)a vernacular name of any of some other related fishes in the genusAlburnus (Cyprinidae)

• “able”, inTrésor de la langue française informatisé[Digitized Treasury of the French Language],2012.

• Abel,Bâle,béal,bêla

• hable

FromOld Frenchable,habile, fromLatinhabilis.

• IPA^(key):/ˈaːbəl/

able

1. capable,expert,qualified,skilful,competent.

• English:able
• Scots:able,abel,awbel,yible
• → Welsh:abl

• “āble,adj.”, inMED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.:University of Michigan,2007.

• abile
• abille
• habile

FromLatinhabilis.

• IPA^(key):/ˈablə/

able m (oblique and nominative feminine singularable)

1. able;capable

• French:habile
  • → Romanian:abil
• → Middle Dutch:abel
  • Dutch:abel
• → Middle English:able,habil
  • English:able,habile
    • → Welsh:abl

FromMiddle Englishable, fromOld Frenchable,habile, fromLatinhabilis.

• abel,awbel,yible

• IPA^(key):/ebl/
• (Southern Scots)IPA^(key):/jɪbl/
• (Northern Scots)IPA^(key):/ɑːbl/

able (superlativeablest)

1. (obsolete)well-to-do,rich
2. substantial
3. physicallyfit,strong
4. shrewd,cute,clever

• “able,adj.”, inThe Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh:Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present,→OCLC.

able

1. Alternative form ofaible(“perhaps”)

• “able,adv.”, inThe Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh:Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present,→OCLC.