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capable

 - 3 dictionary results

ca⋅pa⋅ble

  [key-puh-buhl]
–adjective
1. having power and ability; efficient; competent: a capable instructor.
—Idiom
2. capable of,
a. having the ability or capacity for: a man capable of judging art.
b. open to the influence or effect of; susceptible of: a situation capable of improvement.
c. predisposed to; inclined to: capable of murder.
Use capable in a Sentence
Origin:
1555–65; < LL capābilis roomy, appar. equiv. to cap(āx) roomy + -ābilis able; see capacity

Related forms:
ca⋅pa⋅ble⋅ness, noun
ca⋅pa⋅bly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. skillful, ingenious, accomplished. See able.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To capable
ca·pa·ble   (kā'pə-bəl)   
adj.  

  1. Having capacity or ability; efficient and able: a capable administrator.

  2. Having the ability required for a specific task or accomplishment; qualified: capable of winning.

  3. Having the inclination or disposition: capable of violence.

  4. Permitting an action to be performed: an error capable of remedy; a camera capable of being used underwater.


[Late Latin capābilis, from capere, to take; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]
ca'pa·ble·ness n., ca'pa·bly adv.
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

capable 
1561, from L.L. capabilis "receptive," used by theologians, from L. capax "able to hold much," adj. form of capere "to take, grasp, lay hold, catch, undertake, be large enough for, comprehend," from PIE *kap- "to grasp" (cf. Skt. kapati "two handfuls," Gk. kaptein "to swallow, gulp down," Lett. kampiu "seize," O.Ir. cacht "servant-girl," lit. "captive," Welsh caeth "captive, slave," Goth. haban "have, hold," O.E. hæft "handle," habban "to have, hold;" see have).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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