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n.; pl. Abilities [ F. habileté, earlier spelling habilité (with silent h), L. habilitas aptitude, ability, fr. habilis apt. See Able. ] The quality or state of being able; power to perform, whether physical, moral, intellectual, conventional, or legal; capacity; skill or competence in doing; sufficiency of strength, skill, resources, etc.; -- in the plural, faculty, talent. [ 1913 Webster ]

Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren. Acts xi. 29. [ 1913 Webster ]

Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

The public men of England, with much of a peculiar kind of ability. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Capacity; talent; cleverness; faculty; capability; efficiency; aptitude; aptness; address; dexterity; skill. Ability, Capacity. These words come into comparison when applied to the higher intellectual powers. Ability has reference to the active exercise of our faculties. It implies not only native vigor of mind, but that ease and promptitude of execution which arise from mental training. Thus, we speak of the ability with which a book is written, an argument maintained, a negotiation carried on, etc. It always something to be done, and the power of doing it. Capacity has reference to the receptive powers. In its higher exercises it supposes great quickness of apprehension and breadth of intellect, with an uncommon aptitude for acquiring and retaining knowledge. Hence it carries with it the idea of resources and undeveloped power. Thus we speak of the extraordinary capacity of such men as Lord Bacon, Blaise Pascal, and Edmund Burke. “Capacity, ” says H. Taylor, “is requisite to devise, and ability to execute, a great enterprise.” The word abilities, in the plural, embraces both these qualities, and denotes high mental endowments. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being absorbable. Graham (Chemistry). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Capacity of being kindled, or of becoming inflamed; inflammability. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. acceptabilitas. ] The quality of being acceptable; acceptableness. “Acceptability of repentance.” Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. accessibilitas: cf. F. accessibilité. ] The quality of being accessible, or of admitting approach; receptibility. Langhorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being accountable; liability to be called on to render an account; the obligation to bear the consequences for failure to perform as expected; accountableness. “The awful idea of accountability.” R. Hall.
Syn. -- answerability, answerableness [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 the possibility of being achieved or accomplished; -- a property which may be possessed by a contemplated act.
Syn. -- attainability, attainableness [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. [ Prefix a- + cock + bill: with bills cocked up. ] (Naut.) (a) Hanging at the cathead, ready to let go, as an anchor. (b) Topped up; having one yardarm higher than the other. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being acquirable; attainableness. [ R. ] Paley. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. The quality of being adaptable; suitableness. “General adaptability for every purpose.” Farrar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quantity of being addible; capability of addition. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. admirabilitac. ] Admirableness. [ R. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. admissibilité. ] The quality of being admissible; admissibleness; as, the admissibility of evidence. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. adnubilatus, p. p. of adnubilare. ] Clouded; obscured. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Adorableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being advisable; advisableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. affabilitas: cf. F. affabilité. ] The quality of being affable; readiness to converse; courteousness in receiving others and in conversation; complaisant behavior. [ 1913 Webster ]

Affability is of a wonderful efficacy or power in procuring love. Elyot [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being affectible. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. agreablete. ] 1. Easiness of disposition. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The quality of being, or making one's self, agreeable; agreeableness. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Quality of being alible. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Capability of being alienated. “The alienability of the domain.” Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. altérabilité. ] The quality of being alterable; alterableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. amabilitas. ] Lovableness. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The New English Dictionary (Murray) says this word is “usefully distinct from Amiability.” [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. ambo both + laevus left. ] Left-handed on both sides; clumsy; -- opposed to ambidexter. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Doubtful or ambiguous language. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being amenable; amenableness. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being amiable; amiableness; sweetness of disposition. [ 1913 Webster ]

Every excellency is a degree of amiability. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being amicable; friendliness; amicableness. Ash. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Cf. F. amissibilité. See Amit. ] The quality of being amissible; possibility of being lost. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Notions of popular rights and the amissibility of sovereign power for misconduct were alternately broached by the two great religious parties of Europe. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Liability to be removed or dismissed from office. [ R. ] T. Jefferson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Counteractive of bilious complaints; tending to relieve biliousness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. appétibilité. ] The quality of being desirable. Bramhall. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being applicable or fit to be applied. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being approachable; approachableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. assibilatus, p. p. of assibilare to hiss out; ad + sibilare to hiss. ] To make sibilant; to change to a sibilant. J. Peile. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Change of a non-sibilant letter to a sibilant, as of -tion to -shun, duke to ditch. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being assignable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being assimilable. [ R. ] Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being associable, or capable of association; associableness. “The associability of feelings.” H. Spencer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A person much given to melancholy; a hypochondriac. I. Disraeli. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ LL. atrabilarius, fr. L. atra bilis black bile: cf. F. atrabilaire, fr. atrabile. ] Affected with melancholy; atrabilious. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Melancholy; atrabilious. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Of or pertaining to atra bilis or black bile, a fluid formerly supposed to be produced by the kidneys. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Melancholic or hypohondriac; atrabilious; -- from the supposed predominance of black bile, to the influence of which the ancients attributed hypochondria, melancholy, and mania. [ 1913 Webster ]

Atrabiliary arteries,
capsules, and
veins (Anat.), those pertaining to the kidney; -- called also renal arteries, capsules, and veins. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Melancholic or hypochondriac; atrabiliary. Dunglision. [ 1913 Webster ]

A hard-faced, atrabilious, earnest-eyed race. Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

He was constitutionally atrabilious and scornful. Froude. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being attainable; attainableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or fact of being attractable. Sir W. Jones. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being audible; power of being heard; audible capacity. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] a self-propelled vehicle used for transporting passengers, suitable for use on a street or roadway. Many diferent models of automobiles have beenbuilt and sold commercially, possessing varied features such as a retractable roof (in a convertible), different braking systems, different propulsion systems, and varied styling. Most models have four wheels but some have been built with three wheels. Automobiles are usually propelled by internal combustion engines (using volatile inflammable liquids, as gasoline or petrol, alcohol, naphtha, etc.), and sometimes by steam engines, or electric motors. The power of the driving motor varies from under 50 H. P. for earlier models to over 200 H. P. larger models or high-performance sports or racing cars. An automobile is commonly called a car or an auto, and generally in British usage, motor cars.
Syn. -- car, auto, machine, motorcar. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]