different between able vs sure

English

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) hable

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?e?.bl?/, /?e?.b?l/
• Rhymes: -e?b?l
• Homophone: Abel

Etymology 1

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 habe? (“have, possess”) +? -ibilis.

Adjective

able (comparative abler, superlative ablest)

1. (obsolete) Easy to use. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 18^th century.]
2. (obsolete) Suitable; competent. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 18^th century.]
3. (obsolete, dialectal) Liable to. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
4. Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
5. Free from constraints preventing completion of task; permitted to; not prevented from. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]

6. (obsolete, dialectal) Having the physical strength; robust; healthy. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]

7. (obsolete) Rich; well-to-do. [Attested from the mid 16^th century until the late 19^th century.]

8. Gifted with skill, intelligence, knowledge, or competence. [First attested in the mid 16^th century.]
9. (law) Legally qualified or competent. [First attested in the early 18^th century.]

10. (nautical) Capable of performing all the requisite duties; as an able seaman. [First attested in the late 18^th century.]

Usage notes

• In standard English, one is "able to do something". In some older texts representing various dialects, particularly Irish English, or black speech, "able for do something" is found instead, and in some Caribbean dialects "able with" is sometimes found.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:skillful

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English ablen, from Middle English able (adjective).

Verb

able (third-person singular simple present ables, present participle abling, simple past and past participle abled)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To make ready. [Attested from around (1150 to 1350) until the late 16^th century.]
2. (transitive, obsolete) To make capable; to enable. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 19^th century.]
3. (transitive, obsolete) To dress. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 15^th century.]
4. (transitive, obsolete) To give power to; to reinforce; to confirm. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 17^th century.]
5. (transitive, obsolete) To vouch for; to guarantee. [Attested from the late 16^th century until the early 17^th century.]

Derived terms

• abled

Translations

Etymology 3

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.

Noun

able (uncountable)

1. (military) The letter "A" in Navy Phonetic Alphabet.

References

Anagrams

• Abel, Bale, Beal, Blea, Ebla, Elba, albe, bael, bale, beal, blea

French

Noun

able m (plural ables)

1. a vernacular name of the common bleak (usually called ablette)
2. a vernacular name of the sunbleak or moderlieschen, also called able de Heckel
3. (rare) a vernacular name of any of some other related fishes in the genus Alburnus (Cyprinidae)

Further reading

• “able” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• Abel, Bâle, béal, bêla

Old French

Alternative forms

• abile
• abille
• habile

Etymology

Latin habilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?a.bl?/

Adjective

able m (oblique and nominative feminine singular able)

1. able; capable

Declension

Descendants

• French: habile
  • ? Romanian: abil
• ? Middle Dutch: abel
  • Dutch: abel
• ? Middle English: able, habil
  • English: able, habile
    • ? Welsh: abl

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ebl/
• (South Scots) IPA^(key): /j?bl/

Adjective

able (comparative mair able, superlative maist able)

1. able, substantial, physically fit, strong, shrewd, cute
2. (obsolete) well-to-do, rich

English

Alternative forms

• sho
• sho'

Etymology

From Middle English sure, seur, sur, from Middle French sur or Old French seür, from Latin s?c?rus (“secure”, literally “carefree”), from s?- (“apart”) + c?ra (“care”) (compare Old English orsorg (“carefree”), from or- (“without”) + sorg (“care”)). See cure. Doublet of secure and the now obsolete or dialectal sicker (“certain, safe”).

Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ?ewis, ?ewiss (“certain, sure”)), Middle English siker (“sure, secure”) (from Old English sicor (“secure, sure”)) with which was cognate.

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???/, /???/, /???/
• Rhymes: -??(r), -??(r)
• (General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /?o?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /???/, /???/, /??/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /???/, /??/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /sj???/, /sju??/, /s????/
• Homophones: shaw, Shaw (in non-rhotic dialects with the horse-hoarse merger), shore (with the cure-force merger), show (in non-rhotic with the dough-door merger)

Adjective

sure (comparative surer, superlative surest)

1. Physically secure and certain, non-failing, reliable.

2. Certain in one's knowledge or belief.

   She is sure of herself.

   He was sure of being a finalist.

   They weren't sure who would attend.

   You seemed sure that the car was his.
3. (followed by a to infinitive) Certain to act or be a specified way.

4. (obsolete) Free from danger; safe; secure.
5. (obsolete) Betrothed; engaged to marry.
   • c. 1513-1518 (probably date written, published after 1535) Thomas More, History of King Richard III

     The king was sure to Dame Elizabeth Lucy, and her husband before God.

   • 1632, Richard Brome, The Northern Lass

     I presum'd […] [that] you had been sure, as fast as faith could bind you, man and wife.

Synonyms

• (secure and steadfast): certain, failsafe, reliable, sicker
• (steadfast in one's knowledge or belief): certain, positive, wis

Derived terms

• for sure
• sure as hell
• surely
• sure up

Pages starting with “sure”.

Descendants

• ?? Irish: siúráil
• ? Welsh: siwr

Translations

Adverb

sure (comparative more sure, superlative most sure)

1. (modal adverb) Without doubt, certainly.

   Sure he's coming! Why wouldn't he?

   "Did you kill that bear yourself?" ?"I sure did!"

   • 1802, Charles Lamb, John Woodvil

     These high and gusty relishes of life, sure,
     Have no allayings of mortality in them.

Usage notes

• Often proscribed in favor of surely. May be informal.

Interjection

sure

1. Yes, expressing noncommittal agreement or consent.

2. Yes; of course.

3. You're welcome; polite response to being thanked.

Synonyms

• (noncommittal yes): OK, yes

Translations

References

• 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, ?ISBN

Anagrams

• ERUs, Ersu, Reus, Rues, Ruse, US'er, rues, ruse, suer, ures, user

Danish

Adjective

sure

1. inflection of sur:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Finnish

Verb

sure

1. Indicative present connegative form of surra.
2. Second-person singular imperative present form of surra.
3. Second-person singular imperative present connegative form of surra.

Anagrams

• resu, seur.

French

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -y?

Adjective

sure

1. feminine singular of sur

Adjective

sure

1. Alternative spelling of sûre

Anagrams

• rues
• ruse, rusé
• suer
• user

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French seür, from Latin s?c?rus. Doublet of siker.

Alternative forms

• sur, seur, seure, sewre, sewr, sewere, suer, suere, soure, suir, sere, sore

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s?u?r/, /siu?r/, /su?r/

Adjective

sure (comparative seurer)

1. safe, protected (not dangerous or harmful)
2. fortified, well-defended, protected; especially religiously
3. sure, certain, confirmed
4. sure-minded (certain of one's intent)
5. reliable, of good quality
6. sound, sturdy, hardy

Derived terms

• surely
• surement
• suren
• surenes
• surete

Descendants

• English: sure
  • ?? Irish: siúráil
  • ? Welsh: siwr
• Scots: shuir

References

• “seur, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-21.

Adverb

sure

1. sure, surely, with no doubt or uncertainty
2. entirely, wholly, fully
3. While protecting something, with protection
4. With a tight grasp or grip

Descendants

• English: sure
• Scots: shuir

References

• “seur, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-21.

Etymology 2

Verb

sure

1. Alternative form of suren

Etymology 3

Noun

sure

1. Alternative form of sire

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Arabic ??????? (s?ra, “chapter of the Qur'an”).

Alternative forms

• sura

Noun

sure m (definite singular suren, indefinite plural surer, definite plural surene)

1. (Islam) a sura (any of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Adjective

sure

1. definite singular of sur
2. plural of sur

References

• “sure” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “sure” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Anagrams

• ruse, suer, ures

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Arabic ??????? (s?ra, “chapter of the Qur'an”).

Alternative forms

• sura

Noun

sure m (definite singular suren, indefinite plural surar, definite plural surane)

1. (Islam) a sura (any of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Adjective

sure

1. definite singular of sur
2. plural of sur

References

• “sure” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• ruse, suer

Old English

Etymology

From Germanic, related to s?r (“sour”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?su?.re/

Noun

s?re f

1. sorrel

Pali

Alternative forms

Noun

sure

1. vocative singular of sur? (“a class of liquor”)

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sure/

Adjective

sure

1. inflection of sur:
   1. genitive/dative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/genitive/dative feminine/neuter plural

Swedish

Adjective

sure

1. absolute definite natural masculine form of sur.

Turkish

Etymology

From Arabic ??????? (s?ra).

Noun

sure (definite accusative sureyi, plural sureler)

1. sura

Declension