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able love

able

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having sufficient power or resources to accomplish something.
  • adjective Usage Problem Susceptible to action or treatment.
  • adjective Especially capable or proficient.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To enable.
  • To warrant or answer for.
  • Having power or means sufficient; qualified; competent: as, a man able to perform military service; a child is not able to reason on abstract subjects.
  • Legally entitled or authorized; having the requisite legal qualification: as, an illegitimate son is not able to take by inheritance.
  • In an absolute sense: Vigorous; active.
  • Having strong or unusual powers of mind, or intellectual qualifications: as, an able minister.
  • noun Same as ablet.
  • noun A common termination of English adjectives, especially of those based on verbs.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To make able; to enable; to strengthen.
  • transitive verb To vouch for.
  • adjective obsolete Fit; adapted; suitable.
  • adjective 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
  • adjective Specially: Having intellectual qualifications, or strong mental powers; showing ability or skill; talented; clever; powerful
  • adjective (Law) Legally qualified; possessed of legal competence.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A word that is used in place of the letter "A" during communication.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective have the skills and qualifications to do things well
  • adjective having inherent physical or mental ability or capacity
  • adjective (usually followed by `to') having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
  • adjective having a strong healthy body

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin habilis, from habēre, to handle; see ghabh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English ablen, from Middle English able (adjective).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Old Northern French able, variant of Old French abile, habile, from Latin habilis ("easily managed, held, or handled; apt; skillful"), from habeō ("have, hold").

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Examples

  • [The words are on the board in this form: love + able, care + less.] “The suffix _able_ begins with the vowel _a_; therefore when it is added to the word _love_ the final silent _e_ is dropped, and the word is spelled _lovable_.”

    Orthography As Outlined in the State Course of Study for Illinois Elmer W. Cavins

  • I signed on as able seaman -- _able_ seaman 'cause I was a fishing chap an 'had me Royal Naval Reserve ticket -- aboard the

    A Poor Man's House Stephen Sydney Reynolds 1900

  • England what it is, -- able to subdue the earth, _able to domineer over Catholics.

    English: Composition and Literature 1899

  • (property), since a proprium is included in the definition of a subject, as in ˜a human being is able to laugh™, where the term ˜human being™ is included in the definition of the predicate ˜able to laugh™.

    The Statue of a Writer 2009

  • Custer was a horrendous student, and the word able was not the first that came to mind when people described him.

    EMPIRE OF THE SUMMER MOON S. C. Gwynne 2010

  • The term able, therefore, signifies more than _capable_, more than well-informed, whether applied to an artist, a general, a man of learning, or a judge.

    The Writings of Thomas Jefferson Library Edition - Vol. 6 (of 20) Thomas Jefferson 1784

  • Hafen said he hopes to make the city sustainable, which he defined as able to meet the needs of today without sacrificing the needs of future generations.

    Las Vegas Sun Stories: All Sun Headlines 2010

  • Hafen said he hopes to make the city sustainable, which he defined as able to meet the needs of today without sacrificing the needs of future generations.

    Las Vegas Sun Stories: All Sun Headlines 2010

  • Hafen said he hopes to make the city sustainable, which he defined as able to meet the needs of today without sacrificing the needs of future generations.

    Las Vegas Sun Stories: All Sun Headlines 2010

  • Hafen said he hopes to make the city sustainable, which he defined as able to meet the needs of today without sacrificing the needs of future generations.

    Las Vegas Sun Stories: All Sun Headlines 2010

Comments

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  • ruzuzu commented on the word able

    From the Online Etymology Dictionary:

    Able seaman, one able to do any sort of work required on a ship, may be the origin of this:

    "Able-whackets - A popular sea-game with cards, in which the loser is beaten over the palms of the hands with a handkerchief tightly twisted like a rope. Very popular with horny-fisted sailors. |Smyth, "Sailor's Word-Book," 1867|"

    (See https://www.etymonline.com/word/Able)

    January 28, 2022