capable

[key-puh-buh l] /ˈkeɪ pə bəl/

adjective

having power and ability; efficient; competent:

a capable instructor.

Idioms

capable of,

having the ability or capacity for:
a man capable of judging art.
open to the influence or effect of; susceptible of:
a situation capable of improvement.
predisposed to; inclined to:
capable of murder.

Origin

1555-65; < Late Latin capābilis roomy, apparently equivalent to cap(āx) roomy + -ābilis able; see capacity

Related forms

capableness, noun

capably, adverb

overcapable, adjective

quasi-capable, adjective

quasi-capably, adverb

supercapable, adjective

supercapableness, noun

supercapably, adverb

Synonyms

1. skillful, ingenious, accomplished. See able.

Examples from the web for capable

Radio waves, although capable of going through the human body, have an energy too low to damage it.
It's easy to play yet capable of great subtlety; a skillful player can make notes bend and quiver and sigh.
The problem with this attitude is that women are not thought to be capable of anything else other than motherhood, by society.
The baby birds are capable of feeding themselves upon hatching.
They grew into adults, capable of reproducing every 55 days and during all seasons of the year.
This story of the capable Hugh, told in a rhythmic text that hurries along like the hero, is a read-aloud natural.
Applicants must have administrative and organizing ability and be capable of controlling a large staff.
Now these remote health monitors are becoming even more sophisticated and capable of being used in the most extreme conditions.
She's an intelligent, capable woman who has grown up in a competitive and highly deadly atmosphere.
And, most important, it was becoming clear that they were capable of sending up heavier payloads — like a nuclear warhead.

British Dictionary definitions for capable

capable

/ˈkeɪpəbəl/

adjective

having ability, esp in many different fields; competent

(postpositive) foll by of. able or having the skill (to do something): she is capable of hard work

(postpositive) foll by of. having the temperament or inclination (to do something): he seemed capable of murder

Derived Forms

capableness, noun
capably, adverb

Word Origin

C16: from French, from Late Latin capābilis able to take in, from Latin capere to take

Word Origin and History for capable

adj.

1560s, from Middle French capable or directly from Late Latin capabilis "receptive; able to grasp or hold," used by theologians, from Latin capax "able to hold much, broad, wide, roomy;" also "receptive, fit for;" adjectival form of capere "to grasp, lay hold, take, catch; undertake; take in, hold; be large enough for; comprehend," from PIE *kap- "to grasp" (cf. Sanskrit kapati "two handfuls;" Greek kaptein "to swallow, gulp down;" Lettish kampiu "seize;" Old Irish cacht "servant-girl," literally "captive;" Welsh caeth "captive, slave;" Gothic haban "have, hold;" Old English hæft "handle," habban "to have, hold," Modern English have). Related: Capably.