Forms: 4–6 abill(e, 5 abyl, abylle, abel, 5–6 abul, 5–7 hable, 6–8 habil, 7–8 habile, 4– able; [a. OFr. hable, able (mod. Fr. habile):—L. habil-em, verbal adj., f. habē-re to hold; lit. ‘easy to be held or handled, handy,’ hence ‘pliant, suitable, fit for a purpose.’ The initial silent h has been generally dropped in Eng. from the first, though many classical scholars tried to restore it in 6–7. In 5 the Fr. hable, able was refashioned after L. as abille, habil, habile, and spellings imitating either these or L. habil-em occur in Eng. and Sc. writers in 6–7, of which habile has come down to the present day, as a differentiated form, able leaning in mod. use to the sense of power, habile to that of skill. Of the derivatives ability has lost the h, but habilitate, habilitation, habiliment retain it, through being narrowed down to senses which connect themselves with mod. Fr. habit, habiller. In earlier senses, which clearly connected themselves with able and ability, we find abiliment, abilitate, and abilitation.]
I. passively.
† 1. Easy to handle or use. Obs.
a. Of persons: Facile, complaisant.
1382. Wyclif, Nahum iii. 3. The fornycaciouns of the hoore fair and able.
a. 1423. James I., King’s Quair, III. xxxvi. By vertew pure of zour aspectis hable.
b. Of things: Manageable, handy, convenient.
1710. T. Betterton, in Oldys, Hist. Eng. Stage, v. 67. The Hands are the most habil members of the Body.
† 2. Suitable, fit, appropriate; suited, adapted, fitted. Const. to, for. Obs.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XIV. 49. A felde oþer lyeþ leye … or is able to pasture … or bereþ floures and is able to been.
c. 1430. Freemasonry, 125. He may not ben able To lordys profyt.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. of Abuses, 103 (1877). A good peece of beef was thought than good meat, and able for the best.
1659. Brome, Queen, V. vii. 118. To the next able Tree with him, and hang him presently.
1717. Wodrow, Correspondence (1843), II. 335. An ecclesiastical judicatory are most habile judges of what is necessary.
† b. Seemly, proper. Obs.
a. 1480. in Babees Book, 44. Ne spitte þow not over the tabylle, Ne therupon, for that is no þing abylle.
† 3. Liable, apt, subject, likely, fit. Const. to. Obs. exc. in dial.
1413. Lydgate, Pilgr. of Soule, II. lx. (1859), 57. Thyne was the action, and I nought but abyl for to suffre.
a. 1423. James I., King’s Quair, I. xiv. To fortune both and to infortune hable.
1536. Bellenden, Boece’s Croniklis (1821), I. 11. Becaus thay knew al pepil but successioun abill to perische, thay send thair ambassatouris to the Scottis, desiring to have thair dochteris in mariage.
1656. Earl Monm., Advert. Parnassus, etc., 40. A spectacle able to make a man die for anger.
1866. Mrs. Linton, Lizzie Lorton, III. 116. [He] is noo yeble to be beggared if folks hev a mind.
II. actively.
4. Having the qualifications for, and means of, doing anything; having sufficient power (of whatever kind is needed); in such a position that the thing is possible for one; qualified, competent, capable. Const. for, to.
c. 1325. E. Eng. Allit. Poems, Pearl, 598 (1864), 18. Þenne þe lasse in werke to take more able.
c. 1400. Tale of Beryn, 3237 (1876). Tyll it [the child] be abill of prentyse to crafft of tanery.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., 269 (1879). To be abill to wed hure.
c. 1450. Myrc, 1231. For he was more abeler þen þow To alle manere gode and prow.
1489. Caxton, Faytes of Armes, II. v. 99. Whan they see the ost so lessed they thought to be able for theym.
1535. Coverdale, 1 Kings xxii. 22. Thou shalt disceaue him, and shalt be able.
c. 1538. Starkey, England, II. i. 150. Grettur nombur of men than he ys Abul to promote.
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shr., V. i. 79. I thank my good Father, I am able to maintaine it.
1611. Bible, Matt. xxii. 46. No man was able to answere him a word.
1627. Feltham, Resolves, I. xxxiv. Wks. 1677, 59. Worth without wealth, is like an able servant out of imployment.
1758. S. Hayward, Sermons, iv. 108. Christ is thus a compleat and able saviour.
1850. Kinglake, Crimea, VI. ix. 228. Abler … than others to bring their country new strength.
1860. Tyndall, Glaciers, I. § 16. 105. He finally concluded that I was able to take care of myself.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Wd.-Bk., s.v. Able seaman, a thorough or regular bred sailor.
b. Legally qualified.
1708. Kersey, Admission, or Admittance … in Law is when a presentation to a void Benefice being made by the Patron, the Bishop allows the Clerk to be able.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Admission, A bishop … allows a clerk to be able, or competently qualified for the office; which is done by the formula Admitto te habilem.
† 5. Having general physical or material strength; strong, vigorous, powerful. Obs.
c. 1375. Morte Arthure, 2636. He wille be Alexander ayre,… Abillere þane ever was syr Ector of Troye.
1514. Barclay, Cyt. & Uplandyshman, 71. His shoulders large, for burthen strong and able.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, IV. v. 86. His Highnesse comes post … of as able bodie as when he number’d thirty.
1607. Rowlands, Diog. Lanth., 30. But in thy youth and able strength, Giue prouidence thy hand.
1642. R. Carpenter, Experience, I. xv. 108. Dores strengthened with able barres.
1690. Petty, Polit. Arith. (1691), ii. 37. So many able Men, whose lives are taken away, for the crimes which ill Discipline doth occasion.
1863. Atkinson, Whitby Gloss. A yabble kind of a man, a strong stout person.
† 6. Having material resources; influential, powerful, wealthy. Obs.
1578. Ps. cxxviii., in Scot. Poems of 16th Cent., II. 122. So will the Lord make thee abill.
1665. Pepys, Corresp. (1879), VI. 103. It was the child of a very able citizen in Gracious Street.
1863. Mrs. Toogood, Spec. Yorkshire Dialect. He’s an able man, he has a good bit o’ land hereabouts.
7. Having or showing general mental power or skill; talented, clever. Said of men and their achievements. When applied to the cleverness of tact or dexterity, it is now commonly differentiated as habile after mod. Fr.
1577–87. Harrison, England, I. II. i. 29 (1877). Such number of able pastours as may suffice for everie parish to haue one.
1611. Bible, Ex. xviii. 21. Thou shalt prouide out of all the people able men.
1686. Dryden, Hind & P., II. 432. Those able heads expound a wiser way.
1734. trans. Rollin, Anc. Hist., III. VII. 449. Much more able with his tongue than his sword.
1792. Anecd. of W. Pitt, III. xliv. 197. General Washington proved himself … an abler general.
1802. Mar. Edgeworth, Moral Tales, I. xiii. 107 (1816). Forester, though a better orator, was by no means so able a boxer as his opponent.
1840. Gen. Thompson, Exercises (1842), V. 211. The ablest exposure of … the Factory fraud, which it has been my fortune to see.
1876. Freeman, Norm. Conq., I. iii. 114. An able king is practically absolute.
8. Comb. ABLE-BODIED, ABLE-WHACKETS, q.v.
¶ Used by Sc. writers adverbially = ABLES, ABLINS. Possibly, perhaps.
c. 1528. Lyndesay, Dreme, 893. Quho wyll go sers amang sic heirdis scheip, May, habyll, find mony pure scabbit crok.
1651. D. Calderwood, Hist. Kirk (1843), II. 523. Both write and say he is evill spokin of … and able he will give credite.
