Nearby Words

Unable

[uhn-ey-buhl] Origin

un·a·ble

[uhn-ey-buhl]
adjective
lacking the necessary power, competence, etc., to accomplish some specified act: He was unable to swim.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English; see un-1, able


See incapable.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Unable is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Collins
World English Dictionary
unable (ʌnˈeɪbəl)
 
adj (foll by to)
1.  lacking the necessary power, ability, or authority (to do something); not able
2.  archaic incompetent

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

unable
c.1380, from un- (1) "not" + able. Modeled on O.Fr. inhabile or L. inhabilis.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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