[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin habilis, from habēre, to handle.]

Usage Note: The construction able to ascribes to its subject the ability to accomplish the action expressed in its complement: The troupe was able to get a grant for the project from a large corporation. The new submarine is able to dive twice as fast as the older model. It should be avoided when such an ascription is unwarranted, as with passive constructions involving forms of the verb be; thus it is inconsistent to say The problem was able to be solved through the method she had learned about in business school, since this sentence ascribes no capacity or ability to the problem itself. In such cases, can or could can usually be substituted: The problem could be solved . . . By contrast, passives with get ascribe a more active role to their subjects, and here the able to construction can be used: He was able to get himself accepted by a top law school.