Where does “able” come from?

able (Scots) comes from Middle English able, from Old French able, from Latin habilis, from Latin -ilis, from Proto-Italic -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

able (Scots): able, substantial, physically fit, strong,...

Definitions

  1. able, substantial, physically fit, strong,...

Ancestry of “able”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishablecapable, expert, qualified, skilful, competent
2Old Frenchableable; capable
3Latinhabilisable to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient...
4Latin-ilis-ile
5Proto-Italic-elis—
6Proto-Indo-European-elis—
7Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “able”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →Every word from Latin -ilis →Every word from Latin habilis →