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-ability

 - 3 dictionary results

-ability

 
Use -ability in a Sentence
a combination of -able and -ity, found on nouns corresponding to adjectives in -able: capability.
Origin:
ME -abilite ≪ L -ābilitās
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To -ability
-ability or -ibility  
suff.  Ability, inclination, or suitability for a specified action or condition: teachability.

[Middle English -abilitie, from Old French -abilite, from Latin -ābilitās, from -ābilis, -able.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

-ability 
suffix expressing ability or capacity, from L. -abilitas, forming nouns from adjs. ending in -abilis (see -able). Not etymologically related to ability, though popularly connected with it.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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