abled
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(ā'bəld) 
adj.
Having normal physical and mental abilities; not disabled.
n. (used with a pl. verb)
People with normal physical and mental abilities considered as a group.
adj.
Having normal physical and mental abilities; not disabled.
n. (used with a pl. verb)
People with normal physical and mental abilities considered as a group.
[Back-formation from DISABLED.]
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meaning 'able-bodied, not disabled', is a revival of an obsolete 16th century word, and is first recorded in print in the US in the 1980s. It became popular for a time, in various combinations, to denote a particular ability:
Deaf dogs should have the same right to compete against their hearing-abled peers—Dog World, 1993.It now seems contrived and precious and its use is largely confined to contexts of self-conscious political correctness, in particular differently abled (or otherly abled) has been adopted as a more positive alternative to disabled and handicapped:
They were gentle...kids, who took endless pains to guard against what they referred to as 'the exploitation of the differently abled'—A. Maupin, 1992.Less abled has also become established:
Getting about for less abled residents isn't easy—Bolton Evening News, 2003 [Old English (up to 1150)C].
| able to, abjure, adjure, abide | |
| ableism, abode, abolishment, abolition |
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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