English
capable
Capable comes from Middle French capable, from Late Latin capābilis ‘comprehensible’, from capiō ‘to take, hold’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapiō‘to take, hold’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcapābilis‘comprehensible’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600capable
- Englishearliest quotation 1672same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapiō‘to take, hold’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcapābilis‘comprehensible’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600capable
- Englishearliest quotation 1672same form
Earliest quotation: 1672, Lord Herbert, The Life and Reign of King Henry the Eighth: “The place chosen was the cathedral church, capable of…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kap-
had, head, except, heavy, behavior, catch, capital, achieve, heavily, captain, chapter, chef, escape, acceptance, capacity, haven, occupation, behave, chapel, hawk, cape, cattle, cabin, precipitation, capitol, conceive, capita, mischief, captive, chaplain, captivity, mischievous, cad, haves, chieftain, precipitate, conceivable, occipital, heaviness, precipitous, 138 more
through Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti ‘to be grasping’
through Proto-Italic *kapjō ‘to take, seize’
case, chassis, cashier, cassette, capsule, casket, kas, cajon, chasse, 27 more
through Archaic Latin kapiō
acceptable, imperceptible, 23 more
through Latin capiō ‘to hold, to contain, to take, to understand’
accept, receive, cash, chase, cop, recipe, reception, perception, capture, recipient, deception, anticipation, cable, anticipate, deceive, susceptible, deceptive, caption, cater, deceit, preoccupation, receivable, preceptor, perceptible, captivate, captor, sashay, 25 more
Today it means
adj Able and efficient; having the ability needed for a specific task; having the disposition to do something; permitting or being susceptible to something.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin capiō / capable