ableable

Able comes from Middle English able ‘capable’, from Old Northern French able, from Latin habilis ‘easily managed, held, or handled’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, take’.

1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰeh₁bʰ-¹‘to grab, take’reconstructed
2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰh₁bʰéh₁yeti¹reconstructed
3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*haβēō¹‘to have’reconstructed
4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabeō¹‘to have’
5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabilis¹‘easily managed, held, or handled’
6. Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400able¹‘able’
7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500able¹‘capable’
8. Englishearliest quotation 1625able¹

1. ¹ Wiktionary, English able
2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Youth and Age. XLII.: “Natures that haue much Heat, and great and violent…”.