Unable
/ʌnˈeɪ.bəl/noun
Not able to do something; lacking the power, skill, or opportunity to act.
Did you know?The word is built from the old English negating prefix un- plus able, and its deeper ancestry reaches Latin habilis, tied to what is fit, handy, or easy to handle—language literally marking who can and cannot act.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kap-
“to seize, grasp”
Latin
Latin
habilis
“easy to handle; apt, fit”
Old French
OF
able
“capable, fit”
Middle English
English
unable
“not capable; unfit”
Modern English
English
unable
“not able; lacking capacity”