Enable
/ɪˈneɪbəl/noun
To make something possible, practical, or able to be done.
Did you know?“Enable” is built from the same Latin root as “able,” ultimately tied to the idea of power and capacity, not magic — but it still feels like a spell that grants permission.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ep-
“to grasp, take, reach”
Late Latin
Latin
habilis
“easy to handle; fit, suitable”
Old French
Old French
hable
“able, fit, capable”
Middle English
English
enablen
“to make able or competent”
Modern English
English
enable
“to make possible or to give the means or ability to do something”