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Origin and history of capacity

capacity(n.)

early 15c., capacite, "ability to contain; size, extent;" also "ability" in a legal, moral, or intellectual sense, from Old French capacité "ability to hold" (15c.), from Latin capacitatem (nominative capacitas) "breadth, capacity, capability of holding much," noun of state from capax (genitive capacis) "able to hold much," from capere "to take" (from PIE root *kap- "to grasp").

The sense of "power to store electricity" is from 1777; the industrial sense of "ability to produce" is from 1931. The meaning "power of containing a certain quantity" is from 1885, hence "largest audience a place can hold" (1908).

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to capacity

capacitance(n.)

"ability to store an electric charge," 1893, from capacity + -ance.

capacitate(v.)

1650s, "make capable; furnish with legal powers," from Latin capacitas (see capacity) + -ate (2). Related: Capacitation.

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incapacity
1610s, "lack of ability, powerlessness," from French incapacité (16c.), from Medieval Latin incapacitatem (nominative incapacitas), from Late Latin incapax (genitive incapacis) "incapable," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + Latin capax "capable," literally "able to hold much," from
content
early 15c., "to rest or be satisfied; to give satisfaction to," from Old French contenter (from content (adj.) "satisfied") and Medieval Latin contentare, both from Latin contentus "contained; satisfied," past participle of continere "to hold together, enclose," from assimilated
valence
early 15c., "extract, preparation," from Latin valentia "strength, capacity," from valentem (nominative valens) "strong,...Chemistry sense of "relative combining capacity of an element with other atoms when forming compounds or molecules" is recorded...
intellect
"the sum of the cognitive facilities (except sense or sense and imagination), the capacity for reasoning truth," late 14c...(but little used before 16c.), from Old French intellect "intellectual capacity" (13c.), and directly from Latin intellectus...
competent
Meaning "able, fit, having ability or capacity" is from 1640s....Legal sense "having legal capacity or qualification" is late 15c. Related: Competently....
ingenious
from Old French ingenios, engeignos "clever, ingenious" (Modern French ingénieux), from Latin ingeniosus "of good natural capacity...By a direct path, Latin ingenium produced Middle English ingeny "intellectual capacity, cleverness" (early 15c.), but this...
prevision
early 15c., previsioun, "foresight," from Old French prévision (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin previsionem (nominative previsio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin praevidere "see first, see beforehand," from prae "before" (see pre-) + videre "to see" (fro
production
c. 1400, produccioun, "a coming into being," from Old French production "production, exhibition" (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin productionem (nominative productio) "a prolonging, lengthening," noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin producere "bring forth" (see
office
mid-13c., "a post in government or administration, an employment to which certain duties are attached, secular position of authority or responsibility," from Anglo-French and Old French ofice "place or function; divine service" (12c. in Old French) and directly from Latin officiu

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