Polysemy 289, Etymology or Origin 191, English: “ability” definition, meanings, origin, examples, translations to Spanish and Portuguese

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ability

1 of 2

noun

abil·i·ty??-?bi-l?-tē?

pluralabilities

Synonyms of?ability

1a:?the quality or state of being able

the?ability?of the soil to hold water

especially?:?physical, mental, or legal power to do something

a writer's?ability?to engage the reader's interest

did the work?to the best of her ability?[=as well as she could]

b:?competence in doing something?:?SKILL

artistic?abilities

2:?natural?aptitude?or acquired proficiency

students with different?abilities

-ability

2 of 2

noun suffix

variants?or less commonly?-ibility

:?capacity, fitness, or tendency to act or be acted on in a (specified) way

agglutinability

Synonyms

Noun

• capability
• capableness
• capacity
• competence
• competency
• faculty

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Examples of?ability?in a Sentence

Nouna young woman with many remarkable musical?abilitiesa young woman of great musical?abilityShe has shown some?ability?with foreign languages.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

To this day, courts have ruled that electors, chosen by state ballots and selected with the help of campaigns they are intended to support, have the?ability?to change their mind before selecting a president, unless otherwise barred by state law.—Marianne Levine,?Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023

When country music star Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, helped create a free grocery store in Nashville, Tennessee, their goal was to give families in need the?ability?to choose their own food in a place that felt like a normal store.—Kristin M. Hall,?Fortune, 8 Dec. 2023

Price at time of publish: From $75 Designed by golfers, the Pure Putt Challenge Putting Cups might have the?ability?to take your favorite golfer’s swing to the next level.—Rebecca Jones,?Southern Living, 7 Dec. 2023

Natural wood has an inherent?ability?to create a warm and welcoming space, especially when paired with other natural materials.—Maria Sabella,?Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Dec. 2023

Employers and recruiters now have the?ability?to find professionals who match various identity and skill markers, adding a new dimension to diversity recruiting — one that often wasn’t feasible with traditional candidate search tools.—Jasmine Browley,?Essence, 7 Dec. 2023

The tests did not assess other cognitive skills including the?ability?to stay focused or processing speed.—Jordan Greene,?Peoplemag, 7 Dec. 2023

But, be sure to pay attention to whether your emotions could be overwhelming or take away from their?ability?to express their own.—Sherri Gordon,?Parents, 7 Dec. 2023

The Depression had disrupted the food supply, leaving a generation of new homemakers doubting their?ability?to furnish healthy, varied dishes from sparse pantries.—Alexandra Moe,?The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ability.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.?Send us feedback?about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English?ablete, abilite, habilite?"suitability, proficiency, ability," borrowed from Anglo-French?abilité, borrowed from Latin?habilitāt-, habilitās?"aptitude," from?habilis?"easy to handle, adaptable, fit" +?-tāt-, -tās?-TY?— more at?ABLE

Noun suffix

Middle English?-ablete, -abilite, -iblete, -ibilite, borrowed from Anglo-French?-ableté, -abilité, -ibleté, -ibilité, borrowed from Latin?-abilitās, -ibilitās, from?-abilis, -ibilis?-ABLE?+?-tās?-TY

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at?sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of?ability?was in the 14th century

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Phrases Containing?ability

• to the best of her ability

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Merriam-Webster?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?

“Ability.”?Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ability. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

ability

1 of 2noun

abil·i·ty??-?bil-?t-ē?

pluralabilities

1a:?the quality or state of being able?:?power to do something

b:?competence in doing?:?SKILL

2:?natural or learned skill

-ability

2 of 2noun suffix

-abil·i·ty

variants?also?-ibility?

?-?bil-?t-ē

plural-ties

:?ability, fitness, or likeliness to act or be acted on in (such) a way

readability

Etymology

Noun suffix

derived from Latin?-abilitas, -ibilitas?"-ability"

More from Merriam-Webster on?ability

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Translations to Spanish and Portuguese

1a:?the quality or state of being able

the?ability?of the soil to hold water

Spanish

la capacidad? del suelo para retener el agua

Portuguese

capacidde de reten??o de água

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especially?:?physical, mental, or legal power to do something

a writer's?ability?to engage the reader's interest

did the work?to the best of her ability?[=as well as she could]

Spanish

lo major que pudiera ella [the best that she could]

Portuguese

com o melhor da sua capacidade [to the bet of her ability[

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b:?competence in doing something?:?SKILL

artistic?abilities

Spanish

1 (payment) ability to pay: solvencia [solvency], recursos [resources, funds]

2 (artistic abilities) dotes artística, aptitudes artísticas

Portuguese

1 (payment) ability to pay: solvência [solvency], capacidade de pagar [ability to pay]

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2:?natural or learned skill

Spanish

natural skills: dotes inatas [innate talents], habilidades naturales [natural skills]

learned skills: habilidades aprendidas [learned skills], aptitudes aprendidas [learned aptitudes]

Portuguese

natural skills: talentos de nascen?a [natural skills]

learned skills: habilidades aprendidas [learned skills]

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Sources

Merriam-Webster?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?

“Ability.”?Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ability. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023.

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