2. 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; as, an able workman,
soldier, seaman, a man able to work; a mind able to reason; a person able to be generous; able to
endure pain; able to play on a piano.
3. Specially: Having intellectual qualifications, or strong mental powers; showing ability or skill; talented; clever; powerful; as,
the ablest man in the senate; an able speech.
No man wrote abler state papers.
Macaulay.
4. (Law) Legally qualified; possessed of legal competence; as, able to inherit or devise property.
Able for, is Scotticism. "Hardly able for such a march."
Robertson.
Syn. — Competent; qualified; fitted; efficient; effective; capable; skillful; clever; vigorous; powerful.
Able
(A"ble), v. t. [See Able, a.] [Obs.]
1. To make able; to enable; to strengthen. Chaucer.
2. To vouch for. "I 'll able them." Shak.
-
able
(-a*ble) [F. -able, L. -abilis.] An adjective suffix now usually in a passive sense; able to be; fit to
be; expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense; as, movable, able to be moved; amendable,
able to be amended; blamable, fit to be blamed; salable.
The form -ible is used in the same sense.
It is difficult to say when we are not to use -able instead of -ible. "Yet a rule may be laid down as to
when we are to use it. To all verbs, then, from the Anglo-Saxon, to all based on the uncorrupted infinitival
stems of Latin verbs of the first conjugation, and to all substantives, whencesoever sprung, we annex -
able only." Fitzed. Hall.
Able-bodied
(A`ble-bod"ied) a. Having a sound, strong body; physically competent; robust. "Able-bodied
vagrant." Froude. — A`ble-bod"ied*ness, n..
Ablegate
(Ab"le*gate) v. t. [L. ablegatus, p. p. of ablegare; ab + legare to send with a commission.
See Legate.] To send abroad. [Obs.] Bailey.
Ablegate
(Ab"le*gate) n. (R. C. Ch.) A representative of the pope charged with important commissions
in foreign countries, one of his duties being to bring to a newly named cardinal his insignia of office.
Ablegation
(Ab`le*ga"tion) n. [L. ablegatio.] The act of sending abroad. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.
Able-minded
(A`ble-mind"ed) a. Having much intellectual power. — A`ble-mind"ed*ness, n.
Ableness
(A"ble*ness) n. Ability of body or mind; force; vigor. [Obs. or R.]
Ablepsy
(Ab"lep*sy) n. [Gr. 'a priv. + to see.] Blindness. [R.] Urquhart.
Abler
(A"bler) a., comp. of Able. — A"blest a., superl. of Able.
Ablet
(Ab"let Ab"len) [F. ablet, ablette, a dim. fr. LL. abula, for albula, dim. of albus white. Cf. Abele.]
(Zoöl.) A small fresh-water fish (Leuciscus alburnus); the bleak.
Abligate
(Ab"li*gate) v. t. [L. ab + ligatus, p. p. of ligare to tie.] To tie up so as to hinder from. [Obs.]
