enables
|en-a-ble|
🇺🇸
/ɪˈneɪbəlz/
🇬🇧
/ɪˈneɪb(ə)lz/
(enable)
make possible
Etymology
'enable' originates from Old French, specifically from a form built with the prefix 'en-' + 'able', where 'en-' meant 'in' or 'to cause' and 'able' came via Old French from Latin roots meaning 'able, fit'.
'enable' developed in Middle English as 'enablen' (from Old French elements 'en-' + 'able') and eventually became the modern English verb 'enable'.
Initially it meant 'to make able' (literally to cause to be able); over time it evolved into the broader modern sense 'to give the means, ability, or permission' to do something.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
third-person singular present tense of 'enable'.
She enables the team to work more efficiently by streamlining processes.
Verb 2
to make (someone or something) able to do something; to make possible or easier; to give the means, ability, or permission.
This update enables the software to run on older computers.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/03 09:10