Note: Able for, is Scotticism.
"Hardly able for such a march." Robertson.
Syn. — Competent; qualified; fitted; efficient; effective; capable; skillful; clever; vigorous; powerful.
ABLE
A"ble, v. t. Etym: [See Able, a.] [Obs.]
1. To make able; to enable; to strengthen. Chaucer.
2. To vouch for. "I 'll able them." Shak.
ABLE; -ABLE; IBLE; -IBLE *a*ble. Etym: [F. -able, L. -abilis.]
Defn: An adjective suffix now usually in a passive sense; able to be; fit to be; expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense; as, movable, able to be moved; amendable, able to be amended; blamable, fit to be blamed; salable.
Note: The form ible is used in the same sense.
Note: It is difficult to say when we are not to use -able instead of -ible. "Yet a rule may be laid down as to when we are to use it. To all verbs, then, from the Anglo-Saxon, to all based on the uncorrupted infinitival stems of Latin verbs of the first conjugation, and to all substantives, whencesoever sprung, we annex - able only." Fitzed. Hall.
ABLE-BODIED
A`ble-bod"ied, a.