com·pe·tent

[kom-pi-tuhnt]
adjective
1.
having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose; properly qualified: He is perfectly competent to manage the bank branch.
2.
adequate but not exceptional.
3.
Law. (of a witness, a party to a contract, etc.) having legal competence.
4.
Geology. (of a bed or stratum) able to undergo folding without flowage or change in thickness.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin competent- (stem of competēns, present participle of competere to meet, agree). See compete, -ent

com·pe·tent·ly, adverb
non·com·pe·tent, adjective
non·com·pe·tent·ly, adverb
ul·tra·com·pe·tent, adjective
un·com·pe·tent, adjective
un·com·pe·tent·ly, adverb


1. fit, capable, proficient. See able.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To competently
00:10
Competently is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
competent (ˈkɒmpɪtənt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj (foll by to)
1.  having sufficient skill, knowledge, etc; capable
2.  suitable or sufficient for the purpose: a competent answer
3.  law (of a witness) having legal capacity; qualified to testify, etc
4.  belonging as a right; appropriate
 
[C14: from Latin competēns, from competere to be competent; see compete]
 
'competently
 
adv
 
'competentness
 
n

competent (ˈkɒmpɪtənt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj (foll by to)
1.  having sufficient skill, knowledge, etc; capable
2.  suitable or sufficient for the purpose: a competent answer
3.  law (of a witness) having legal capacity; qualified to testify, etc
4.  belonging as a right; appropriate
 
[C14: from Latin competēns, from competere to be competent; see compete]
 
'competently
 
adv
 
'competentness
 
n

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

competent
c.1400, from O.Fr. competent, from L. competentem (nom. competens), prp. of competere "coincide, agree" (see compete). Legal sense is late 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

competent com·pe·tent (kŏm'pĭ-tənt)
adj.

  1. Properly or sufficiently qualified; capable.

  2. Capable of performing an allotted or required function.

  3. Legally qualified or fit to perform an act.

  4. Able to distinguish right from wrong and to manage one's affairs.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
Even if done honestly and competently, those kinds of changes may have introduced enough noise to render the data useless.
In seven of the cases, he failed to perform legal services competently or take steps to avoid prejudice to his clients' rights.
He stipulated that he failed to perform legal services competently.
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