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

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. [ L. admirabilitac. ] Admirableness. [ R. ] Johnson. [ 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. [ 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. 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 ]

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 ]

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

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

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

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

n. [ Auto- + stability. ] (Mechanics) Automatic stability; also, inherent stability. An aëroplane is inherently stable if it keeps in steady poise by virtue of its shape and proportions alone; it is automatically stable if it keeps in steady poise by means of self-operative mechanism. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n.; pl. Availabilities 1. The quality of being available; availableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The word is sometimes used derogatively in the sense of “mere availableness, ” or capability of success without regard to worthiness. [ 1913 Webster ]

He was . . . nominated for his availability. Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is available. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the quality of being easily damaged or destroyed.
Syn. -- fragility. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n.; pl. Capabilities 1. The quality of being capable; capacity; capableness; esp. intellectual power or ability. [ 1913 Webster ]

A capability to take a thousand views of a subject. H. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Capacity of being used or improved. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Changeableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being coagulable; capacity of being coagulated. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being cogitable; conceivableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. commensurabilité. ] The quality of being commensurable. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. communicabilité. ] The quality of being communicable; capability of being imparted. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

n. a similarity allowing comparison; an approximate equivalence.
Syn. -- comparison, compare, equivalence. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Capability of being condensed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The state of being conformable. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Geol.) The parallelism of two sets of strata which are in contact. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Capability of being confused. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Capability of being controlled; controllableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Culpabilities [ Cf. F. culpabilité. ] The state of being culpable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being curable; curableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being damnable; damnableness. Sir T. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) The state or quality of being deflagrable. [ 1913 Webster ]

The ready deflagrability . . . of saltpeter. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law) The state of being demisable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being demonstrable; demonstrableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the trait of being dependable or reliable.
Syn. -- dependableness, reliability, reliableness. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Deplorableness. Stormonth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being desirable; desirableness. [ 1913 Webster ]