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"ability, capacity" in seven languages

Meaningability, capacity

Spanish

capacidad

/kapaθiˈdad/

fem.learned

French

capacité

/kapasite/

fem.learned

Italian

capacità

/kapatʃiˈta/

fem.learned

Portuguese

capacidade

/kapasiˈdadʒi/

fem.learned

Romanian

capacitate

/kapatʃiˈtate/

fem.learned

Catalan

capacitat

/kəpəsiˈtat/

fem.learned

English

ability

/əˈbɪləti/

other source · Old French ableté, from Latin HABILITĀTEM

English → Italianability, capacitycapacitàNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: capacity, capable, capture.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CAPĀCITĀTEM‘room, capacity (CAPERE 'to hold, take')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

An ability is how much you can 'hold' (CAPERE). English ability's own source, HABILITĀTEM, lives on as Spanish habilidad and Italian abilità — but those mean 'skill'.

English relatives: capacity, capable, capture

Sound laws at work

-TĀTEM: -dad, -té, -tà

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In a sentence

  • esTiene una gran capacidad de concentración.
  • frElle a une grande capacité de concentration.
  • itHa una grande capacità di concentrazione.
  • ptEla tem uma grande capacidade de concentração.
  • roAre o mare capacitate de concentrare.
  • caTé una gran capacitat de concentració.
  • enShe has a great ability to concentrate.

More words from the same Latin

More in Ideas

All Ideas words