Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Capable in Webster's 1913 dictionary

The 1913 record labels capable as adjective. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.

WEBSTER 1913adjective
Capable

[F. capable, LL. capabilis capacious, capable, fr. L. caper to take, contain. See Heave.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordcapable
Part of speechadjective
Historical etymology[F. capable, LL. capabilis capacious, capable, fr. L. caper to take, contain. See Heave.]
Selected historical definitionPossessing ability, qualification, or susceptibility; having capacity; of sufficient size or strength; as, a room capable of holding a large number; a castle capable of resisting a long assault.
Signed record IDwebster1913-capable-adjective-ff0f06d9434f
Source locatorCIDE.C, paragraph 1771; Gutenberg eBook 661
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 661Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "capable" is labeled adjective. Its etymology is recorded as: "[F. capable, LL. capabilis capacious, capable, fr. L. caper to take, contain. See Heave.]" The selected historical definition says: "Possessing ability, qualification, or susceptibility; having capacity; of sufficient size or strength; as, a room capable of holding a large number; a castle capable of resisting a long assault."

Project Gutenberg Webster 1913 plus signed GNU GCIDE 0.54 Exact cross-verified historical record reviewed 2026-10-04

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

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