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apt, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
apt in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Old French apte, from Latin aptus, from obsolete apere (“to fasten, to join, to fit”), akin to apisci (“to reach, attain”); compare with Greek ἅπτειν (háptein, “to fasten”) and Sanskrit आप्त (āpta, “fit”), from आप् (āp, “to reach, attain”).
Adjective
apt (comparative apter or more apt, superlative aptest or most apt)
- Suitable; appropriate; fit or fitted; suited.
- Synonyms: appropriate, meet, suitable; see also Thesaurus:pertinent, Thesaurus:suitable
an apt metaphor
apt punishment
1678, Antiquitates Christianæ: Or, the History of the Life and Death of the Holy Jesus: , London: E. Flesher, and R. Norton, for R Royston, , →OCLC:a river […] apt to be forded by a lamb
1755, Callimachus, “The First Hymn of Callimachus. To Jupiter.”, in William Dodd, transl., The Hymns of Callimachus, , London: The translator , , →OCLC, page 1:While we to Jove the pure libations pay, / Than Jove what apter claims the hallow'd lay?
- (of persons or things) Having a habitual tendency; habitually liable or likely; disposed towards.
- Synonyms: disposed, inclined, liable, predisposed, tending towards; see also Thesaurus:inclined
1874, John Lubbock, Scientific Lectures / On Plants and Insects:This tree, if unprotected, is apt to be stripped of its leaves by a leaf-cutting ant.
1886, Frederic Harrison, The Choice of Books:that lofty pity with which prosperous folk are apt to remember their grandfathers
1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 , New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 168:Since sick people were apt to be present, he could not always depend on a lively young crowd in the same ward with him, and the entertainment was not always good.
- Ready; especially fitted or qualified (to do something); quick to learn.
- Synonyms: fit, prompt, expert, qualified, ready; see also Thesaurus:skilled
a pupil apt to learn
an apt scholar
1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :Fulfill your pleasure. Live a thousand years, / I shall not find myself so apt to die.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
fit or fitted; suited; suitable; appropriate
- Bulgarian: уместен (bg) (umesten), подходящ (bg) (podhodjašt)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 合適/合适 (zh) (héshì), 妥當/妥当 (zh) (tuǒdang), 恰當/恰当 (zh) (qiàdàng), 適當/适当 (zh) (shìdàng), 適宜/适宜 (zh) (shìyí), 貼切/贴切 (zh) (tiēqiè), 得體/得体 (zh) (détǐ)
- Danish: egnet
- Dutch: passend (nl), gepast (nl), toepasselijk (nl), geschikt (nl)
- Esperanto: taŭga
- Finnish: sopiva (fi), omiaan (to sth)
- French: apte (fr) m or f
- Galician: apto m
- German: geeignet (de), passend (de)
- Ido: apta (io)
- Irish: tráthúil (of speech), fóirsteanach
- Italian: adatto (it), appropriato (it), idoneo (it) (formal), confacente (it) (formal)
- Japanese: 適切 (ja) (てきせつ, tekisetsu)
- Latin: aptus (la), idōneus
- Macedonian: по́годен (pógoden), соо́дветен (soódveten), у́месен (úmesen)
- Manx: cooie, traaoil
- Maori: tōtika, arotau, koi (mi)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: egnet, egna
- Nynorsk: egna
- Occitan: apte (oc)
- Portuguese: apto (pt)
- Romanian: potrivit (ro) m or n, apt (ro) m or n
- Russian: подходя́щий (ru) (podxodjáščij), соотве́тствующий (ru) (sootvétstvujuščij), уме́стный (ru) (uméstnyj)
- Slovak: vhodný, príhodný m
- Spanish: apto (es), apropiado (es), acertado (es), oportuno (es)
- Swedish: passande (sv)
- Ukrainian: доречний (dorečnyj), відповідний (vidpovidnyj), підходящий (pidxodjaščyj)
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having an habitual tendency; habitually liable or likely; disposed towards
ready; especially fitted or qualified (to do something); quick to learn; prompt; expert
- Bulgarian: способен (bg) (sposoben), възприемчив (bg) (vǎzpriemčiv)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 善於/善于 (zh) (shànyú), 聰明/聪明 (zh) (cōngmíng), 聰穎/聪颖 (zh) (cōngyǐng), 靈巧/灵巧 (zh) (língqiǎo)
- Dutch: pienter (nl), fit (nl), slim (nl)
- Finnish: pystyvä (fi), lahjakas (fi), kyvykäs (fi)
- Japanese: 利発 (ja) (りはつ, rihatsu)
- Khmer: ជំនាញ (km) (cumniəñ)
- Macedonian: спо́собен (spósoben)
- Occitan: apte (oc)
- Portuguese: apto (pt)
- Russian: спосо́бный (ru) (sposóbnyj), поня́тливый (ru) (ponjátlivyj)
- Slovak: hotový m, spôsobilý, pripravený
- Ukrainian: здібний (zdibnyj)
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Translations to be checked
Etymology 2
Alternative forms
Noun
apt (plural apts)
- Abbreviation of apartment.
2010, David Dondero, Just a Baby in Your Momma's Eyes:Where our apt used to be they built a fancy condominium high-rise.
Which at a lowly income none of us could ever really quite afford.
Anagrams
Norwegian Bokmål
Alternative forms
Verb
apt
- past participle of ape
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Latin aptus, likely through English apt.
Adjective
apt (indefinite singular apt, definite singular and plural apte, comparative aptare, indefinite superlative aptast, definite superlative aptaste)
- apt
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French apte, from Latin aptus.
Adjective
apt m or n (feminine singular aptă, masculine plural apți, feminine and neuter plural apte)
- apt
Declension