Search the Dictionary

An agent; a servant, or laborer; a workman, trained or competent for special service or duty; a performer more or less skillful; as, a deck hand; a farm hand; an old hand at speaking. A dictionary containing a natural history requires too many hands, as well as too much time, ever to be hoped for. Locke. I was always r…

A person competent to serve on a jury, in an action for land in the hundred to which he belongs.

with a crime or misdemeanor; to accuse; especially to charge (a public officer), before a competent tribunal, with misbehavior in office; to cite before a tribunal for judgement of official misconduct; to arraign; as, to impeach a judge. See Impeachment.

ct without reference to one person more than another, or, as generally expressed, a right competent, or available, against all persons. Rights in rem include not alone rights over physical property, but all rights available against all persons indifferently, as those of life, liberty, and reputation.…

To deprive of legal or constitutional requisites, or of ability or competency for the performance of certain civil acts; to disqualify. It absolutely incapacitated them from holding rank, office, function, or property. Milman.

Want of legal ability or competency to do, give, transmit, or receive something; inability; disqualification; as, the inacapacity of minors to make binding contracts, etc.

Inciting; encouraging or moving; rousing to action; stimulative. Competency is the most incentive to industry. Dr. H. More.

One who believes that an organized Christian church is complete in itself, competent to self-government, and independent of all ecclesiastical authority.

Not efficacious; not having power to produce the effect desired; inadequate; incompetent; inefficient; impotent. Boyle. The authority of Parliament must become inefficacious . . . to restrain the growth of disorders. Burke.

Disproportion to any office or purpose; inadequacy; competency; as, the inequality of terrestrial things to the wants of a rational soul. South.

, or public disgrace, which a convict incurs, and by which he is at common law rendered incompetent as a witness.

Unskilled; unready; awkward; incompetent; unqualified; -- said of person. [Obs.] See Unable.

Want of power or skill; inability; incapacity; incompetency; as, the insufficiency of a man for an office.

Wanting in strength, power, ability, capacity, or skill; incompetent; incapable; unfit; as, a person insufficient to discharge the duties of an office.

Not capable of making a will; not legally qualified or competent to make a testament. Blackstone.

Conformable to law; allowed by law; legitimate; competent.

Of or pertaining to making laws. Practically, in many cases, authority or legific competence has begun in bare power. J. Grote.

To match one's self against; to oppose as equal; to compete with. There is no passion in the mind of man so weak but it mates and masters the fear of death. Bacon. I, . . . in the way of loyalty and truth, . . . Dare mate a sounder man than Surrey can be. Shak.

An auxiliary verb qualifyng the meaning of another verb, by expressing: (a) Ability, competency, or possibility; -- now oftener expressed by can. How may a man, said he, with idle speech, Be won to spoil the castle of his health ! Spenser. For what he [the king] may do is of two kinds; what he may do as just, and what…

ce of a nation, including both those engaged in military service as a business, and those competent and available for such service; specifically, the body of citizens enrolled for military instruction and discipline, but not subject to be called into actual service except in emergencies. The king's captains and soldier…