English → Latin
“ability” in Latin
potentiaforce, power, might; ability, capacity; political power, authority, influence, swaypotestāspower, ability; mastery, control; authority, jurisdictioncōpiasupply, abundance, copiousness, wealth, riches; plenty, fulness, multitude; opportunity, facilities (the means of doing facultāsability to do any thing easily, skill, capacity, power; means, resources; opportunity, chanceingeniuminnate or natural quality, natural character; nature; disposition, temper, inclination; intelligence, natural capacitysollersskilled, skilful, clever, dexterous, adroit, expert; ingenious, sagacious, clever, intelligent, inventivedocilitāsdocility; gentlenessvirtūsmanhood, manliness, virility; courage, valor, resoluteness, gallantry; virtue, goodnessmentumthe chin; the chin with the hair that grows on it; the beard; the projecting part of a cornice casting off the rain, thedīcōto say, talk, speak, utter, mention; to declare, state; to tell
The English word ability itself goes back to Latin habeō, through habilitās.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
ability
power, potentia (absolute power): potestas (power derived from legal authority): copia (possibility of doing anything with convenience): facultas (capacity; possibility subjectively).
Mental power, ingenium (connate mental power, talents, genius): sollertia (menta. dexterity, practical genius): docilitas (power of learning, of improving): ingenu facultas (talent for a particular pur suit, not talents coliectively, which is ingenium): facultas with genitive (power to do anything, e.g., to speak, dicendi). I do not give him credit for ability to accomplish something, aliquem aliquid efficere non posse duco (after Nep., Alcib., 7, 2).
Abilities, mental powers collectively; ingenium, facultates (Cic., de Invent., 1, 27, quite at the end); animi vis, virtus, hominis sollertia. To cultivate one’s abilities, animum mentemque excolere: to be a person of considerable abilities, ingeniosum esse, ingenio abundare.
Riches. Vid:
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for ability?
- The usual Latin words for “ability” are potentia, potestās, cōpia; also facultās, ingenium, sollers. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.