enabled
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
These verbs all describe making an action possible, but they differ in focus. 'Enable' is the most neutral: it says a thing or situation gives someone the means to act, as in 'the loan enabled her to start a business'. 'Allow' is weaker and can also mean simply granting permission, so 'the rules allow it' is about rights, not ability. 'Empower' adds a feeling of confidence and authority — it suits people gaining control over their own lives, as in 'the training empowered the staff'. 'Equip' points to the actual tools or skills being supplied: 'the course equips students with practical skills'. Compare: a grant enables research, a manager allows a day off, a mentor empowers a shy worker, and a workshop equips beginners with basic tools.
Common collocations
Nouns
- enable users
- enable access
- enable growth
- enable people
Adverbs
- greatly enable
- fully enable
Phrases
- enable someone to do something
- be enabled by
Prepositions
- enabled by
- enabled through
Etymology
'Enable' was built in late Middle English from the prefix 'en-', meaning 'to put into a state', joined to the adjective 'able'. So at its root it literally means 'to make able'. The technology sense of the adjective 'enabled' (as in 'web-enabled') grew much later, in the computer age of the late twentieth century, when devices began to be fitted with new features.
First known use
15th century
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a