I. -nt adjective
Etymology: Middle English, suitable, appropriate, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French compétent, from Latin competent-, competens
1.
a.
(1) : possessed of or characterized by marked or sufficient aptitude, skill, strength, or knowledge : satisfactory , adequate
was generally considered a competent painter of landscapes
(2) : sufficient
a competent income
b. : satisfactorily or moderately able : without marked weakness or demerit
one way toward the competent and salable, the other toward excellent and possibly unsalable — H.S.Canby
c. : possessed of knowledge, judgment, strength, or skill needed to perform an indicated action — followed by an infinitive phrase
one of the finest raiders alive, and most competent to judge my half-formed scheme — T.E.Lawrence
2.
a. archaic : appropriate or suitable especially to a certain social position or rank
a moiety competent was gaged by our king — Shakespeare
b. : proper or rightly pertinent : rightfully belonging or exercised
if it be competent for our government to segregate and impound one group of law-abiding innocent citizens — A.J.Nock
3. geology , of a bed or stratum : strong enough to transmit effectively the thrust when strata are folded by lateral compression and capable of sustaining the weight of overlying strata when arched into an anticline
4. : legally qualified or capable: as
a. : authorized to act or possessed of jurisdiction
a competent court
a competent judge
b. : legally qualified in mental and physical makeup
a competent witness
c. : meeting legal requirements as to validity
competent evidence
5. biology : exhibiting competence : functional
Synonyms: see able , sufficient
II. adjective
: having the capacity to respond (as by producing an antibody) to an antigenic determinant
immunologically competent cells