different between able vs versatile
able
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)
- (obsolete) Easy to use. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 18th century.]
- (obsolete) Suitable; competent. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 18th century.]
- (obsolete, dialectal) Liable to. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
- Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
- Free from constraints preventing completion of task; permitted to; not prevented from. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
- (obsolete, dialectal) Having the physical strength; robust; healthy. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
- (obsolete) Rich; well-to-do. [Attested from the mid 16th century until the late 19th century.]
- Gifted with skill, intelligence, knowledge, or competence. [First attested in the mid 16th century.]
- (law) Legally qualified or competent. [First attested in the early 18th century.]
- (nautical) Capable of performing all the requisite duties; as an able seaman. [First attested in the late 18th 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)
- (transitive, obsolete) To make ready. [Attested from around (1150 to 1350) until the late 16th century.]
- (transitive, obsolete) To make capable; to enable. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 19th century.]
- (transitive, obsolete) To dress. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 15th century.]
- (transitive, obsolete) To give power to; to reinforce; to confirm. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 17th century.]
- (transitive, obsolete) To vouch for; to guarantee. [Attested from the late 16th century until the early 17th 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)
- (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)
- a vernacular name of the common bleak (usually called ablette)
- a vernacular name of the sunbleak or moderlieschen, also called able de Heckel
- (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)
- able; capable
Declension
Descendants
- French: habile
- ? Romanian: abil
- ? Middle Dutch: abel
- Dutch: abel
- ? Middle English: able, habil
- English: able, habile
- ? Welsh: abl
- English: able, habile
Scots
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ebl/
- (South Scots) IPA(key): /j?bl/
Adjective
able (comparative mair able, superlative maist able)
- able, substantial, physically fit, strong, shrewd, cute
- (obsolete) well-to-do, rich
able From the web:
- what ableist
- what ableism
- what able means
- what ableton should i buy
- what ableist meaning
- what ableton live should i get
- what able-bodied mean
- what ableton to buy
versatile
English
Etymology
From Latin vers?tilis (“turning easily”), from vers?tus, past participle of vers? (“I turn, change”), frequentative of vert? (“I turn”).
Pronunciation
- (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /?v?s?tl?/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?v??s?ta?l/, [?v??s?ta??]
Adjective
versatile (comparative more versatile, superlative most versatile)
- Capable of doing many things competently.
- Having varied uses or many functions.
- Changeable or inconstant.
- (biology) Capable of moving freely in all directions.
- (BDSM) Being a switch; capable of taking either a dominant or a submissive role.
- 2004, "queenchaser1158", Horny Versatile TV/TS Wanted in Phoenix (on newsgroup alt.personals.gay)
- (gay slang) Capable of taking either a penetrative (top) or receptive (bottom) role in anal sex.
Derived terms
- versatility
Translations
Further reading
- versatile in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- versatile in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- versatile at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- levirates, relatives
French
Etymology
From Latin vers?tilis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /v??.sa.til/
Adjective
versatile (plural versatiles)
- versatile; easily changeable
- indecisive
Derived terms
- versatilité
Further reading
- “versatile” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Italian
Etymology
From Latin versatilis, from versare (“to turn, to twist”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ver?sa.ti.le/
Adjective
versatile (plural versatili)
- versatile
- all-round, all around, multiskilled
Derived terms
- versatilità
Anagrams
- laveresti, rilevaste, rivaleste, rivelaste, servitela, versateli
Latin
Adjective
vers?tile
- nominative neuter singular of vers?tilis
- accusative neuter singular of vers?tilis
- vocative neuter singular of vers?tilis
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /versa?tile/
Adjective
versatile f pl or n pl
- nominative feminine plural of versatil
- accusative feminine plural of versatil
- nominative neuter plural of versatil
- accusative neuter plural of versatil
versatile From the web:
- what versatile mean
- versatile meaning in urdu
- what versatile voice
- what versatile means in arabic
- what's versatile mean in spanish
- what's versatile in german
- what versatile molecule
- what versatile worker
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