Meaning and Origin
What does the name Able mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
User Submitted Origins
User Submitted Meanings
- A user from Uganda says the name Able means "Capable or God is able".
- Fit; adapted; suitable.(Obs)"A many man, to ben an abbot able." [Chaucer.]
- 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.
- 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.]
- [Law] Legally qualified; possessed of legal competence; as, able to inherit or devise property.synonyms: Competent; qualified; fitted; efficient; effective; capable; skillful; clever; vigorous; powerful.
Note: Able for , is Scotticism. "“Hardly able for such a march.”" Robertson.
Etymology: OF. habile, L. habilis that may be easily held or managed, apt, skillful, fr. habere to have, hold. Cf. Habile and see Habit
- To make able; to enable; to strengthen.
- To vouch for."I 'll ablethem." [Shak.]
Etymology: See Able (a.)
- (usually followed by `to') having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something ("able to swim", "she was able to program her computer", "we were at last able to buy a car", and "able to get a grant for the project")
- Having inherent physical or mental ability or capacity ("able to learn", "human beings are able to walk on two feet", and "Superman is able to leap tall buildings")
- Have the skills and qualifications to do things well ("able teachers", "a capable administrator", and "children as young as 14 can be extremely capable and dependable")
- Having a strong healthy body ("an able seaman" and "every able-bodied young man served in the army")
From Middle English able, from Old Northern French able, variant of Old French abile, habile, from Latin habilis (“easily managed, held, or handled; apt; skillful”), from habeō (“have, possess”) + -ibilis.
From Middle English ablen, from Middle English able (adjective).
From the first letter of the word. Suggested in the 1916 United States Army Signal Book to distinguish the letter when communicating via telephone, and later adopted in other radio and telephone signal standards.
- (military) The letter "A" in Navy Phonetic Alphabet.
able was also found in the following language(s): French, Old French, and Scots