able: Meaning and Definition of

a•ble

Pronunciation: (ā'bul), [key]
— adj., n. a•bler, a•blest,
—adj.
  1. having necessary power, skill, resources, or qualifications; qualified: able to lift a two-hundred-pound weight; able to write music; able to travel widely; able to vote.
  2. having unusual or superior intelligence, skill, etc.: an able leader.
  3. showing talent, skill, or knowledge: an able speech.
  4. legally empowered, qualified, or authorized.
—n.
  1. (usually cap.) a code word formerly used in communications to represent the letter A.

-able

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a suffix meaning “capable of, susceptible of, fit for, tending to, given to,” associated in meaning with the wordoccurring in loanwords from Latin (laudable); used in English as a highly productive suffix to form adjectives by addition to stems of any origin (teachable; photographable).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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