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In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.
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1828 Noah Webster Dictionary
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1828.mshaffer.com › Word [incapable]

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incapable

INCA'PABLE, a.

1. Wanting capacity sufficient; not having room sufficient to contain or hold; followed by of. We say, a vessel is incapable of containing or holding a certain quantity of liquor; but I believe we rarely or never say, a vessel is incapable of that quantity.

2. Wanting natural power or capacity to learn, know, understand or comprehend. Man is incapable of comprehending the essence of the Divine Being. An idiot is incapable of learning to read.

3. Not admitting; not in a state to receive; not susceptible of; as, a bridge is incapable of reparation.

Is not your father grown incapable

Of reasonable affairs?

4. Wanting moral power or disposition. He is incapable of a dishonorable act.

5. Unqualified or disqualified, in a legal sense; not having the legal or constitutional qualifications. A man not thirty years of age is unqualified, and therefore incapable of holding the office of president of the United States; a man convicted on impeachment is disqualified, and therefore incapable of holding any office of honor or profit under the government.

Incapable properly denotes a want of passive power,the power of receiving, and is applicable particularly to the mind; unable denotes the want of active power or power of performing, and is applicable to the body or the mind. [See Incapacity.]


Evolution (or devolution) of this word [incapable]

1828 Webster1844 Webster1913 Webster

INCA'PABLE, a.

1. Wanting capacity sufficient; not having room sufficient to contain or hold; followed by of. We say, a vessel is incapable of containing or holding a certain quantity of liquor; but I believe we rarely or never say, a vessel is incapable of that quantity.

2. Wanting natural power or capacity to learn, know, understand or comprehend. Man is incapable of comprehending the essence of the Divine Being. An idiot is incapable of learning to read.

3. Not admitting; not in a state to receive; not susceptible of; as, a bridge is incapable of reparation.

Is not your father grown incapable

Of reasonable affairs?

4. Wanting moral power or disposition. He is incapable of a dishonorable act.

5. Unqualified or disqualified, in a legal sense; not having the legal or constitutional qualifications. A man not thirty years of age is unqualified, and therefore incapable of holding the office of president of the United States; a man convicted on impeachment is disqualified, and therefore incapable of holding any office of honor or profit under the government.

Incapable properly denotes a want of passive power,the power of receiving, and is applicable particularly to the mind; unable denotes the want of active power or power of performing, and is applicable to the body or the mind. [See Incapacity.]

IN-CA'PA-BLE, a. [Fr. in and capable.]

  1. Wanting capacity sufficient; not having room sufficient to contain or hold; followed by of. We say, a vessel is incapable of containing or holding a certain quantity of liquor; but I believe we rarely or never say, a vessel is incapable of that quantity.
  2. Wanting natural power or capacity to learn, know, understand or comprehend. Man is incapable of comprehending the essence of the Divine Being. An idiot is incapable of learning to read.
  3. Not admitting; not in a state to receive; not susceptible of; as, a bridge is incapable of reparation.
  4. Wanting power equal to any purpose. Is not your father grown incapable, / Of reasonable affairs? Shak. [See No. 2.]
  5. Wanting moral power or disposition. He is incapable of a dishonorable act.
  6. Unqualified or disqualified, in a legal sense; not having the legal or constitutional qualifications. A man not thirty years of age is unqualified, and therefore incapable of holding the office of president of the United States; a man convicted on impeachment is disqualified, and therefore incapable of holding any office of honor or profit under the government. Incapable properly denotes a want of passive power, the power of receiving, and is applicable particularly to the mind; unable denotes the want of active power or power of performing, and is applicable to the body or mind. [See Incapacity.]

In*ca"pa*ble
  1. Wanting in ability or qualification for the purpose or end in view; not large enough to contain or hold; deficient in physical strength, mental or moral power, etc.; not capable; as, incapable of holding a certain quantity of liquid; incapable of endurance, of comprehension, of perseverance, of reform, etc.
  2. One who is morally or mentally weak or inefficient; an imbecile; a simpleton.
  3. Not capable of being brought to do or perform, because morally strong or well disposed; -- used with reference to some evil; as, incapable of wrong, dishonesty, or falsehood.
  4. Not in a state to receive; not receptive; not susceptible; not able to admit; as, incapable of pain, or pleasure; incapable of stain or injury.
  5. Unqualified or disqualified, in a legal sense; as, a man under thirty-five years of age is incapable of holding the office of president of the United States; a person convicted on impeachment is thereby made incapable of holding an office of profit or honor under the government.
  6. As a term of disgrace, sometimes annexed to a sentence when an officer has been cashiered and rendered incapable of serving his country.

    * Incapable is often used elliptically.

    Is not your father grown incapable of reasonable affairs? Shak.

    Syn. -- Incompetent; unfit; unable; insufficient; inadequate; deficient; disqualified. See Incompetent.

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incapable

INCA'PABLE, a.

1. Wanting capacity sufficient; not having room sufficient to contain or hold; followed by of. We say, a vessel is incapable of containing or holding a certain quantity of liquor; but I believe we rarely or never say, a vessel is incapable of that quantity.

2. Wanting natural power or capacity to learn, know, understand or comprehend. Man is incapable of comprehending the essence of the Divine Being. An idiot is incapable of learning to read.

3. Not admitting; not in a state to receive; not susceptible of; as, a bridge is incapable of reparation.

Is not your father grown incapable

Of reasonable affairs?

4. Wanting moral power or disposition. He is incapable of a dishonorable act.

5. Unqualified or disqualified, in a legal sense; not having the legal or constitutional qualifications. A man not thirty years of age is unqualified, and therefore incapable of holding the office of president of the United States; a man convicted on impeachment is disqualified, and therefore incapable of holding any office of honor or profit under the government.

Incapable properly denotes a want of passive power,the power of receiving, and is applicable particularly to the mind; unable denotes the want of active power or power of performing, and is applicable to the body or the mind. [See Incapacity.]

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Word of the Day

importance

IMPORT'ANCE, n.

1. Weight; consequence; a bearing on some interest; that quality of any thing by which it may affect a measure, interest or result. The education of youth is of great importance to a free government. A religious education is of infinite importance to every human being.

2. Weight or consequence in the scale of being.

Thy own importance know.

Nor bound thy narrow views to things below.

3. Weight or consequence in self-estimation.

He believes himself a man of importance.

4. Thing implied; matter; subject; importunity. [In these senses, obsolete.]

Random Word

raise

RAISE, v.t. raze. [This word occurs often in the Gothic version of the gospels, Luke 3:8. John 6:40, 44. These verbs appear to be the L. gradior, gressus, without the prefix. L. to go to walk, to pass.]

1. To lift; to take up; to heave; to lift from a low or reclining posture; as, to raise a stone or weight; to raise the body in bed.

The angel smote Peter on the side and raised him up.

Acts 12.

2. To set upright; as, to raise a mast.

3. To set up; to erect; to set on its foundations and put together; as, to raise the frame of a house.

4. To build; as, to raise a city, a fort, a wall, &c.

I will raise forts against thee. Is. 29. amos 9.

5. To rebuild.

They shall raise up the former desolations. Is. 61.

6. To form to some height by accumulation; as, to raise a heap of stones. Josh. 8.

7. To make; to produce; to amass; as, to raise a great estate out of small profits.

8. To enlarge; to amplify.

9. To exalt; to elevate in condition; as, to raise one from a low estate.

10. To exalt; to advance; to promote in rank or honor; as, to raise one to an office of distinction.

This gentleman came to be raised to great titles.

11. To enhance; to increase; as, to raise the value of coin; to raise the price of goods.

12. To increase in current value.

the plate pieces of eight were raised three pence in the piece.

13. To excite; to put in motion or action; as, to raise a tempest or tumult.

He commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind. Ps. 107.

14. To excite to sedition, insurrection, war or tumult; to stir up. Act. 14.

AEneas then employs his pains in parts remote to raise the Tuscan swains.

15. To rouse; to awake; to stir up.

They shall not awake, not be raised out of their sleep. Job. 14.

16. To increase in strength; to excite from languor or weakness. The pulse is raised by stimulants, sometimes by venesection.

17. To give beginning of importance to; to elevate into reputation; as, to raise a family.

18. To bring into being.

God vouchsafes to raise another word for him.

19. To bring from a state of death to life.

He was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification. Rom. 4. 1Cor. 15.

20. To call into view from the state of separate spirits; as, to raise a spirit by spells and incantations.

21. To invent and propagate; to originate; to occasion; as, to raise a report or story.

22. To set up; to excite; to begin by loud utterance; as, to raise a shout or cry.

23. To utter loudly; to begin to sound or clamor. He raised his voice against the measures of administration.

24. To utter with more strength or elevation; to swell. Let the speaker raise his voice.

25. To collect; to obtain; to bring into a sum or fund. Government raises money by taxes, excise and imposts. Private persons and companies raise money for their enterprises.

26. To levy; to collect; to bring into service; as, to raise troops; to raise an army.

27. To give rise to.

28. To cause to grow; to procure to be produced, bred or propagated; as, to raise wheat, barley, hops, &c.; to raise horses, oxen or sheep.

[The English now use grow in regard to crops; as, to grow wheat. This verb intransitive has never been used in New England in a transitive sense, until recently some persons have adopted it from the English books. We always use raise, but in New England it is never applied to the breeding of the human race, as it is in the southern states.]

29. To cause to swell, heave and become light; as, to raise dough or paste by yeast or leaven.

Miss Liddy can dance a jig and raise paste.

30. To excite; to animate with fresh vigor; as, to raise the spirits or courage.

31. To ordain; to appoint; or to call to and prepare; to furnish with gifts and qualification suited to a purpose; a Scriptural sense.

I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren. Deut. 18.

For this cause have I raised thee up, to show in thee my power. Ex. 9. Judg. 2.

32. To keep in remembrance. Ruth 4.

33. To cause to exist by propagation. Matt. 22.

34. To incite; to prompt. Ezra 1.

35. To increase in intensity or strength; as, to raise the heat of a furnace.

36. In seamen's language, to elevate, as an object by a gradual approach to it; to bring to be seen at a greater angle; opposed to laying; as, to raise the land; to raise a point.

To raise a purchase, in seamen's language, is to dispose instruments or machines in such a manner as to exert any mechanical force required.

To raise a siege, is to remove a besieging army and relinquish an attempt to take the place by that mode of attack, or to cause the attempt to be relinquished.

Noah's 1828 Dictionary

First dictionary of the American Language!

Noah Webster, the Father of American Christian education, wrote the first American dictionary and established a system of rules to govern spelling, grammar, and reading. This master linguist understood the power of words, their definitions, and the need for precise word usage in communication to maintain independence. Webster used the Bible as the foundation for his definitions.

This standard reference tool will greatly assist students of all ages in their studies.

No other dictionary compares with the Webster's 1828 dictionary. The English language has changed again and again and in many instances has become corrupt. The American Dictionary of the English Language is based upon God's written word, for Noah Webster used the Bible as the foundation for his definitions. This standard reference tool will greatly assist students of all ages in their studies. From American History to literature, from science to the Word of God, this dictionary is a necessity. For homeschoolers as well as avid Bible students it is easy, fast, and sophisticated.


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