adj.
Pronunciation: ' käm-p ə -t ə nt
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, suitable, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin competent-, competens, from present participle of competere
Date: 15th century
1 : proper or rightly pertinent
2 : having requisite or adequate ability or qualities : FIT <a competent teacher> <a competent piece of work>
3 : legally qualified or adequate <a competent witness>
4 : having the capacity to function or develop in a particular way specifically : having the capacity to respond (as by producing an antibody) to an antigenic determinant <immunologically competent cells>
synonyms see SUFFICIENT
– com · pe · tent · ly adverb