Where does “able” come from?
Able comes from Old Northern French able, which passed through Middle English able and Middle English ablen before entering modern English.
able (English): Easy to use; Suitable; competent; Liable to
Definitions
- Easy to use; Suitable; competent; Liable to
Ancestry of “able”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | able | — |
| 2 | Old French | able | able; capable |
| 3 | Latin | habilis | able to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient... |
| 4 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
Words derived from “able”