different between ability vs scope

English

Alternative forms

• abilitie, hability, habilitie (obsolete)

Etymology

First attested in the 1300s. From Middle English abilite (“suitability, aptitude, ability”), from Middle French habilité, from Old French ableté, from Latin habilit?s (“aptness, ability”), from habilis (“apt, fit, skillful, able”), equivalent to able +? -ity.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /??b?l.?.ti/, /??.b?l.?.ti/
• Rhymes: -?l?ti

Noun

ability (countable and uncountable, plural abilities)

1. (obsolete) Suitableness. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 17^th century.]
2. (uncountable) The quality or state of being able; capacity to do or of doing something; having the necessary power. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
3. The legal wherewithal to act. [First attested in the mid 17^th century.]
4. (now limited to Scotland dialects) Physical power. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
5. (archaic) Financial ability. [First attested in the early 16^th century.]
6. (uncountable) A unique power of the mind; a faculty. [First attested in the late 16 ^th century.]
7. (countable) A skill or competence in doing; mental power; talent; aptitude. [First attested in the early 17 ^th century.]
   • 1769, King James Bible, Acts 11:29

     Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren.

Usage notes

• Ability, capacity : these words come into comparison when applied to the higher intellectual powers.
  • Ability has reference to the active exercise of our faculties. It implies not only native vigor of mind, but that ease and promptitude of execution which arise from mental training. Thus, we speak of the ability with which a book is written, an argument maintained, a negotiation carried on, etc. It always supposes something to be done, and the power of doing it.
  • Capacity has reference to the receptive powers. In its higher exercises it supposes great quickness of apprehension and breadth of intellect, with an uncommon aptitude for acquiring and retaining knowledge. Hence it carries with it the idea of resources and undeveloped power. Thus we speak of the extraordinary capacity of such men as Lord Bacon, Blaise Pascal, and Edmund Burke. "Capacity," says H. Taylor, "is requisite to devise, and ability to execute, a great enterprise."
• The word abilities, in the plural, embraces both these qualities, and denotes high mental endowments.

Synonyms

• (quality or state of being able): capacity, faculty, capability
• (a skill or competence): See Thesaurus:skill
• (high level of skill or capability): talent, cleverness, dexterity, aptitude
• (suitability or receptiveness to be acted upon): capability, faculty, capacity, aptness, aptitude

Antonyms

• inability, unability
• disability

Derived terms

• notability

Related terms

• able

Translations

Further reading

• ability in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• ability in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

References

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sk??p/
• IPA^(key): /?sko?p/
• Hyphenation: scope
• Rhymes: -??p

Etymology 1

From Italian scopo (“purpose”), from Latin scopus (“target”), from Ancient Greek ?????? (skopós), from ????????? (sképtomai), from Proto-Indo-European *spe?-. Etymologically related to skeptic and spectrum.

Noun

scope (countable and uncountable, plural scopes)

1. The breadth, depth or reach of a subject; a domain.
2. (weaponry) A device used in aiming a projectile, through which the person aiming looks at the intended target.

   Synonym: telescopic sight

   • 2014, Sgt. Jack Coughlin, Donald A. Davis, On Scope: A Sniper Novel, St. Martin's Press (?ISBN)

3. Opportunity; broad range; degree of freedom.
   • 2001, Mike Hughes, Andy Vass, Strategies for Closing the Learning Gap (page 19)

     It is also true that the vast majority of teachers are highly skilled and experienced professionals who are already doing an excellent job in the classroom, thus leaving relatively little scope for improvement.

   • 2014, Mary Kitt-Neel, Lie Down in Princess Position

     She had in fact put in a resume at another firm that gave their graphics team much more scope.

4. (programming) The region of program source code in which a given identifier is meaningful, or a given object can be accessed.
   • 2001, Mary Campione, Kathy Walrath, Alison Huml, The Java Tutorial: A Short Course on the Basics, Addison-Wesley Professional (?ISBN), page 72

5. (logic) The shortest sub-wff of which a given instance of a logical connective is a part.
6. (linguistics) The region of an utterance to which some modifying element applies.

7. (slang) A periscope, telescope, microscope or oscilloscope.
8. (medicine, colloquial) Any medical procedure that ends in the suffix -scopy, such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, etc.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

• in-scope
• scopeless

Descendants

• ? Irish: scóp

Translations

Verb

scope (third-person singular simple present scopes, present participle scoping, simple past and past participle scoped)

1. (informal, transitive) To perform a cursory investigation of; scope out.
2. (medicine, colloquial) To perform any medical procedure that ends in the suffix -scopy, such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, etc.

   The surgeon will scope the football player's knee to repair damage to a ligament.

3. (programming) To limit (an object or variable) to a certain region of program source code.

   If we locally scope the user's login name, it won't be accessible from outside this function.

4. (informal) To examine under a microscope.

   The entomologist explained that he could not tell what species of springtail we were looking at without scoping it.

5. (birdwatching, informal) To observe a bird using a spotting scope.

Translations

Etymology 2

Latin scopa

Noun

scope (plural scopes)

1. (obsolete) A bundle, as of twigs.

References

Anagrams

• OPSEC, Pecos, copes, copse

Italian

Noun

scope f

1. plural of scopa

Anagrams

• cespo, pesco, pescò, speco

Latin

Noun

scope

1. vocative singular of scopus