Capability

How to spell capability

10 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce capability

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does capability mean?

1. nounThe power or ability to do something, or a feature that provides such power.

Capability in a sentence

• The new software adds a capability for scheduling reports automatically.

• The team demonstrated a clear capability to deliver under tight deadlines.

Where does capability come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word grows out of the Latin verb capere, which literally meant 'to take, seize, or hold', and which gives English a whole family of related words including capture, capacity, and capable. From capere came the late Latin adjective capabilis, meaning 'able to hold or contain', which passed into English through French in the 1500s as 'capable'. Once 'capable' was settled, English added the abstract noun suffix -ity to form 'capability', meaning the quality of being able to do something. The middle of the word is the spelling trap: the unstressed -abil- can tempt writers toward -ibil-, but because the base is 'capable' (with an a), the noun keeps the a in 'capability'. The same -ability pattern shows up in 'reliability' and 'durability', all built on -able adjectives.

How the word is built

• cap- (from capere: to take, hold)
• -able (able to)
• -ity (noun forming suffix)